We are supporting efforts to conserve large carnivores in North Macedonia

Stretching across North Macedonia, Albania, Greece and beyond, the Balkans are home to ancient forests, rugged mountains and remarkable biodiversity. Brown bears roam vast woodland, wolves patrol remote valleys and, hidden among the forests, one of Europe’s rarest mammals still survives: the critically endangered Balkan lynx, a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx.

While people are separated by borders, wildlife is not. Animals follow ancient routes in search of food, mates and new territory, moving across landscapes that have connected nature for thousands of years.

For more than 50 years, the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) has worked to protect these landscapes. Through scientific research, conservation action and collaboration across national boundaries, MES is helping ensure that wildlife can continue to move safely through the Balkans.

Corridors for Wildlife

Healthy ecosystems depend on connected landscapes. As settlements and other infrastructure expand, natural habitats become increasingly fragmented. Forests that were once linked are divided into smaller and smaller pockets, forcing wildlife to cross busy roads or travel through areas where they are more vulnerable to disturbance and collision. 

For species such as the Balkan lynx, brown bear and wolf, connected habitats are essential. This is why creating and protecting corridors and safe crossings is at the heart of MES’s conservation work. By identifying and safeguarding the natural routes used by large mammals, the organisation is helping keep Europe’s wildlife connected, allowing species to move freely through the landscapes they have depended upon for generations.

What work does the Macedonian Ecological Society do?

Research

For more than 50 years, MES has built its conservation work on robust scientific research. From monitoring populations of the critically endangered Balkan lynx to studying brown bears, wolves and other wildlife, MES gathers the evidence needed to understand how species move through the landscape and the challenges they face.

Conservation Action

MES supports multiple local conservation projects, ranging from submitting proposals to improve nature protection laws to research-backed actions to protect iconic wildlife. The organisation leads major regional initiatives, and is the North Macedonian partner in the transboundary Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.

Collaboration

MES works closely with governments, researchers, conservation organisations and local communities across the Balkans to protect shared ecosystems and migratory wildlife. By bringing together scientific expertise, practical conservation and regional partnerships, the organisation is helping build a future where people and nature can thrive alongside one another.

Our Partnership 

Through our partnership with the Macedonian Ecological Society, TENT is proud to support conservation that delivers lasting benefits for wildlife across one of Europe’s most important biodiversity hotspots.

The Balkans are home to some of the continent’s last truly wild landscapes. 

At the heart of this landscape lies the Pindos-Prespa region, stretching from North Macedonia into northern Greece. This transboundary wilderness is one of Europe’s most important ecological corridors, allowing wildlife to move freely between habitats, find mates and maintain healthy populations.

Yet these vital connections are increasingly under pressure. Roads and other infrastructure are fragmenting habitats, making it harder for wildlife to move safely through the landscape and increasing the risk of vehicle collisions.

Conserving the Balkan lynx

The Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) is one of Europe’s rarest wild cats and is classified as Critically Endangered. Fewer than 50 individuals are believed to remain, with the core population occurring in North Macedonia and smaller, fragmented groups in Albania and Kosovo. The subspecies faces multiple threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal killing, declining prey populations, and extremely low genetic diversity resulting from decades of isolation and a very small population size.

Since 2006, the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme (BLRP) has coordinated transboundary conservation efforts to restore a viable population. With MES as the North Macedonian partner, BLRP’s work includes long-term camera-trap monitoring, GPS tracking, habitat protection, policy advocacy, and collaboration with local communities to reduce poaching and improve coexistence.

Together, TENT and MES are helping address connectivity challenges by assessing the impacts of the Kičevo to Ohrid highway in western North Macedonia across 2027. Through scientific research, including camera trapping, GPS tracking and genetic monitoring, the project will identify where wildlife crossings and other mitigation measures can have the greatest impact, helping to keep landscapes connected and ensuring that wildlife and people can continue to thrive side by side.

Experience North Macedonia on a Coexistence Adventure

If you’re curious to visit Europe’s hidden conservation gem, why not join one of our ‘Wild Balkans Coexistence Adventures’ to North Macedonia and Northern Greece? Across this 8-night holiday, you’ll have the chance to look for bears, wolves and more, enjoying charming villages surrounded by panoramic mountains and forest. 

50% of your cost will be a direct contribution to Macedonian Ecological Society and Callisto – TENT’s conservation partners.

Drive nature’s recovery, through experience

Discover more and book your place