Western Balkans Environment Programe

Environmental Monitoring and Field Surveillance Training Held

Regional Environmental Monitoring and Field Surveillance training was held on May 6th–7th at the Hotel Iberostar Bellevue Bečići, in Budva, Montenegro. Participants in the Western Balkan Environmental Monitoring and Field Surveillance workshop were practitioners involved in conducting, planning or assessing environmental monitoring and field surveillance as well as stakeholders from six countries/ territories involved in the Western Balkan Environmental Programme (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, the FYR of Macedonia, and UNATSCR 1244, Kosovo). The purpose of the workshop was to present a regional snapshot of the participating countries/territories in relation to the environmental monitoring and field surveillance conducted and needed, and to provide participants with further skills through training in environmental monitoring and provision of tools and resources.

UNDP WBREP Chief Technical Advisor Stewart Williams estimated that the Region was characterized by diverse qualities of environmental monitoring. Williams says that the same spheres are not being monitored in the same way in all the countries. He thinks that all the countries should cooperate more and should joint their efforts for the purpose of achieving the European standards. Williams claims that Montenegro is institutionally well equipped and has good experts, thus fulfilling the European standards in domain of environmental monitoring.