Let us start by celebrating and congratulating Georgia for the first natural World Heritage site designation, as well as North Macedonia for the designation of Lake Ohrid as its third and largest Ramsar Site and the proclamation of Shar Mountains National Park, one of the largest transboundary protected areas in Europe!

In this newsletter, we invite you to read the IUCN-backed study that finds gray whales at high risk from ship strikes in the North Pacific, and the IUCN WCPA authored Protection study of the Vjosa River Valley. We are excited to share two funding opportunities: Action for Buna II small grants programme will fund the projects from conservation organisations in Albania, while the Fondation Segré Conservation Action Fund is open to the wider conservation community. We invite you to browse through the ADAPT newsletter #2 and to check the recently released infographic on Nature-based Solutions. Also, read about the concerns our Members in Albania are voicing in relation to the planned developments in Vjosë-Narta. Finally, on a brighter note, we are pleased to welcome two new Members to our region, the Hunting Association of Serbia and KAFLU - Kyrgyz Association of Forest and Land Users. 

As the summer advances, several long-awaited events are approaching – the first one being IUCN World Conservation Congress, a key milestone before pivotal UN conferences on biodiversity and climate in Kunming and Glasgow. At the same time, the Roadmap to guide the implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is being shaped up and is expected to be adopted by heads of states, this fall in Slovenia. Exciting times ahead, calling for new targets and action towards a sustainable, healthy future for people and nature, regionally and globally.

We thank all the contributors to A Voice for Nature #25 and wish you to stay safe!

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