Call for Entrepreneurs to increase the sustainability of National Park Shar Mountain
Are you passionate about conservation and eager to positively impact our planet? Do you have a solution that can prosper Shar Mountain National Park and eliminate or mitigate any of its threats, thus contributing to its sustainability? We invite you to participate in our mission to safeguard Shar Mountains' natural treasures.
The entity managing this Call for Entrepreneurs:
Public Institution National Park Shar Mountain, Njegoseva nm.3, in Tetovo, launching and managing this call for entrepreneurs, is the author and the management entity of this Call for Entrepreneurs.
Location, size, and description of National Park Shar Mountain:
The Shar Mountains are a large mountain range that stretches along the border area between North Macedonia and Kosovo. The area of Shar Planina is a European hotspot for biodiversity with exceptional natural values. After decades of waiting, on June 30, 2021, the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia declared part of Shar Planina a National Park, with more than 75% of the territory under a high level of protection according to the IUCN nature conservation standards.
This newly designated protected area covers more than 62,705 hectares, rich in forests, grasslands, glacial lakes, watercourses, and diverse geomorphology. The region is characterized by high mountains whose peaks easily exceed 2,500 meters (2,500 ft), with Titos Peak as the highest peak, located at 2,748 meters above sea level. Above all, the Shar Mountain National Park is a vital sanctuary for biodiversity, preserving a mosaic of ecosystems and species that are essential to the ecological balance of the Balkans.
The significance of preserving Public Institution Shar Mountain cannot be overstated. Beyond its intrinsic value, it offers tangible benefits to local regions, such as the Pollog Valley, by providing vital ecosystem services, such as clean water provision, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility, ensuring our well-being and survival.
The primary objective of the Park is to preserve the existing natural values, improve the well-being of the people living in the Park, and provide economic benefits in multiple sectors.
Threats for National park Shar Mountain:
Shar Mountain National Park faces a series of threats that threaten its integrity and reduce biodiversity. Due to changes in the traditional way of life in the region, Shar Mountain is under increasing anthropogenic pressure. This causes a number of threats that can lead to degradation or destruction of all natural values. The following major threats threaten the biodiversity of Shar Mountain:
• Unsustainable development of tourism activities with a high impact on the environment, which causes negative effects on habitats and ecosystems;
• Illegal use of natural resources, primarily forests, wildlife, water, non-timber forest products to generate income;
• Pollution from insufficient waste management and wastewater treatment;
• Loss of biodiversity, landscape values and pollution from unregulated construction and infrastructure projects (construction of roads, houses, restaurants and other tourist infrastructure, etc.);
• Abandonment of traditional land-use practices, leading to loss of biodiversity.
The goal of this Call for Entrepreneurs:
The National park Shar Mountain offers wide business opportunities which can be the basis for eliminating the key threats that put a huge pressure on the area's sustainable development and existence. There is a critical need for innovative solutions that will help to improve financial sustainability while at the same time increasing the well-being of everyone who lives inside or around The National park Shar Mountain.
The involvement of ambitious and promising entrepreneurs is pivotal, serving as a game changer in the development of National park Shar Mountain . This initiative offers a great opportunity to showcase some of the most unique business ideas, allowing entrepreneurs to receive recognition and eventually scale up their projects to other nature sites.
We believe that implementing business strategies will not only generate financial income to be deployed in the conservation of National park Shar Mountain but also play a pivotal role in eliminating or mitigating existing threats.
The proposed business solutions for implementation on-site should be in accordance with the identified ideas and threats of National park Shar Mountain and align with the following criteria:
- To be implemented in the period of 24 months;
- To respect the principles of sustainable development;
- Do not create any additional threats that put in danger the biodiversity and sustainable development of The Public Institution Shar Mountain;
- Do not violate the laws of domestic country and the set of rules/laws of The Public Institution National park Shar Mountain
Who can participate?
We accept applications from individuals willing to create a company or existing legal entities (companies/SMEs). Previous experience in the proposed activity sector will be an advantage.
Female-led or female-owned businesses are particularly encouraged to apply.
Are there costs or rewards for the submission of applications?
There are no costs for applicants to submit applications. Among all the applicants, the Public Institution National park Shar Mountain will select up to 10 entrepreneurs/teams who will be admitted to the 1-week Acceleration program on-site tailored for Entrepreneurs. Companies will receive dedicated training to strengthen their projects, aligning them more with the threats of the National Park Shar Mountain and providing networking opportunities.
The selected companies will also have an opportunity to receive financial support from the Nature Returns project to set up their business activities on the Territory of the National park Shar Mountain.
Intellectual property rights:
The companies’ submitted personal data will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). We process your data, some of which may be personal, solely for the purpose of carrying out the selection process for t The Public Institution National Park Shar Mountain Call for Entrepreneurs.
The data will not become the property of Public Institution National park Shar Mountain and will be used just for selection purposes. The ownership of data will remain solely under the control of the entity submitting the application.
Why to participate?
There are three main reasons for anyone to participate:
- Impact: Make a meaningful contribution to the biodiversity and conservation of National park Shar Mountain.
- Improve the lives of current and future generations
- Visibility: Showcase your service for the wider community
- Involvement: In case your application is selected, you will be invited to implement it on the National Park Shar Mountain.
How to apply:
To apply, please fill out the idea form at https://forms.gle/jygDfCBoodZFcBQz6
Selection process:
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of conservation, business, and sustainability experts based on the positive impact on biodiversity and population, feasibility, and financial return.
Public Institution National park Shar Mountain reserves the right not to select any entrepreneur/team at its own discretion.
Important dates:
- Application Call Opens: 17.03.2025
- Application Call Deadline: 01.06.2025
- Announcement of selected entrepreneurs: 16.06.2025
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For more information:
For more information, please get in touch with opencalls@sarmountain.org.mk for the call for entrepreneurs.
