We love Kosovo and its nature that have served us as a sanctuary for so many years. Our history is deeply rooted in the ancient roots of our forests. Today, our forests serve us, they offer us a place to retreat, to catch our breath, and to heal.
We inherited these forests from our ancestors. They give us life.
We are cutting our trees, we are burning them, we are using them faster than it is growing. This is cutting our breath, our family’s wellbeing, our children’s health, and our community’s livelihood.
Did you know that Kosovo is losing about
1.5 hectares of forest per day?
Our breathing space is weakening daily, in front of our eyes. Our sanctuary is gradually wilting its arms to our future wellbeing, to our children, and all living creatures. We are losing our future. One forest at a time!
It is time to act
as if we can’t breathe tomorrow!
We bring in the science, technology, and actions of changemakers, champions, geoscience institutes, data scientists, and responsible and innovative businesses. We together can combat deforestation and regenerate our forests, to serve us and our futures.
Have a look at the map below to explore the cumulative forest loss in Kosovo from 2001 to 2019. Use the slider to discover the events over time.
Cumulative Forest loss
These forest loss maps were obtained using satellite-based products, such as European Space Agency's Sentinel 2 and NASA's Landsat 8.
Results were validated by a team of Data Scientists and Remote Sensing Specialists. The validation process involved three methods:
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Visual inspection using high-resolution satellite imagery of more than 200 patches of estimated forest loss
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Comparison with Global Forest Watch (GFW) forest loss estimates
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Change detection using radar satellite imagery
The two images display forest loss between 2011 and 2013.
Use the slider to view how much difference just 2 years can make.
We compared the results that we obtained against the GFW forest loss estimates. As you can see, despite using different approaches, the estimates match quite closely.
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Click on the bars to find out how many hectares of forest were lost over time.
How can you help?
We can reverse the story by uniting our voices. We can restore our well-being by protecting our ancient forests. We can create an abundance of fresh air and new forests that will welcome us and allow us to breathe and celebrate.
We hope that by combining maps displaying the extent and rate of forest loss and engaging media, our story can reach a large audience. Share this Story Map with as many people as you can and be the one to spread the knowledge and raise awareness with activists and policymakers. We must insist on action and leadership from government, private and civil society sectors. Our small country deserves the sanctuary and the pleasures of the forests and mountains.
We deserve to breathe!
*Once you sign the pledge, send the scanned document to info@slkosova.org
