CNVP Kosovo has been granted by the Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) to implement a new five-year project - Sustainable Natural Resources for Environment and Economic Development (SUNREED).

The SUNREED project will be implemented over five years from January 2022 until December 2026.

The main objectives of SUNREED are to:

▪ increase incomes from sustainably managed private forests;

▪ address issues related to climate change adaptation and biodiversity;

▪ develop forest product market systems, including wood biomass (wood chips);

▪ provide incentives for proper forest management and income generation for Private Forest Owners (PFOs); and

▪ reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The project is focused on poverty reduction in remote forest areas of Kosovo. Additional employment and incomes will be generated for women, men, and youth in sustainably managed forests through the development of markets for wood biomass, medicinal & aromatic plants (MAPs), nuts, soft fruits, and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Carbon sequestration will be increased in line with Kosovo’s current climate change policy.

The Market Systems’ Development (MSD) approach will be used to guide project implementation to ensure the project achieves maximum positive impact for poorer people, brings about sustainable changes in the behaviour and expertise of all project participants, and improves PFOs’ access to forest product markets and incomes.

The project will be implemented by CNVP Kosovo working with a range of partners including private businesses, public agencies, and civil society organisations such as the National Association of Private Forest Owners (NAPFO) and the local Associations of Private Forest Owners (APFOs).