Facts and Figures
- Location:
- Bregalnica River Valley east of Skopje
- Population:
-
70 – 100
Min. and max. numbers of breeding pairs since the year 2000
7.500 (municipality with 11 villages)
Inhabitants in the year 2017 - White stork in Macedonian:
- Бел штрк (Bel štrk)
- Nesting sites:
- Mainly on houses, some on electricity poles
- Events:
- Stork Day Celebration, Annual Stork Census
Contact
Macedonian Ecological Society
contact person: Ksenija Putilin
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Martinka
In some regions of North Macedonia people recieve a red and white thread bracelet in March (martinka) and wear it until they see their first stork. When they see a stork they take it off, make a wish and tie it on a budding tree.
The arrival of storks is seen as the sign to start working in the fields.
Landscape and habitat
Rice fields cover 18% of the Municipality; they are situated in the middle of the Municipality along the main road and adjoining the villages. The rice fields are of great importance to the local population as they remain one of the most important livelihood opportunities. The storks and other birds forage in the rice fields.
Wet meadows cover 18.9% of the municipality; they are mainly situated in the northern and southern part of the municipality. They are in fact periodically turned into arable plots and have provided the possibility to develop the extensive rice fields.
Riparian forests and reedbeds: These habitats cover a small percentage of the municipality. The reedbeds exist in small patches; the riparian forests with poplar and willow trees form a very narrow belt along the Bregalnica River (southern part of the municipality) and are presumed to maintain high biodiversity value. There are no protected areas in this municipality. However, parts of the territory of the municipality are included in two proposed IBAs (Kochani Rice Fields and Zletovska River Valley).
Conservation
Češinovo-Obleševo is the leader in conservation of storks and their habitats in North Macedonia. The Municipality is also recognized as an eco-educational tourist destination.
Local players and EuroNatur partners
Municipality Češinovo-Obleševo, Macedonian Ecological Society