Albania is mostly a mountainous country with 60% of its territory consisting in mountains and more than 35% of its population living in these areas. The high biodiversity of these mountain ecosystems results from the sheer variety of micro-environments on the steep and varied terrain that demand new adaptations and favor the evolution of new species and varieties.

This minigrant will consist in support as part of coo-financing for the first National Conference on Mountainous Ecosystems, following up on the Implementation Plan of Johannesburg Earth Summit referring to the ?sustainable development of mountainous areas?. The conference is organized with the support of Ministry of Environment and national NGOs and aims at facilitating the integration of biodiversity issues and sustainable use of mountainous ecosystems in the national policies.