A training for environmental journalists from South Eastern Europe (SEE) was held in Ohrid, FYR Macedonia, on June 18-25, 2003 as part of the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme for South Eastern Europe (REReP). Twelve environmental journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro attended the course. The head trainer was the environmental correspondent of The Guardian, UK, Paul Brown, assisted by Pavel Antonov, editor of Green Horizon. Joe Smith, an environmental media researcher from the Open University and coordinator of the Environment and Media programme of Cambridge University, UK, attended the training to include it as a case study in his research. The course was designed for experienced journalists, working in established media outlets in their countries. Practical skills in identifying attractive environmental stories, convincing the editors of the relevance of environmental stories and techniques of environmental story research were among the main themes selected for the training. The trainers opted for a strictly practical approach where all participants were put in a real time environmental story writing situation. Upon recommendation from the organisers of the REC’s country office in Skopje, the topic of the practical work was the state of environment of Ohrid Lake. Europe's oldest lake, it has preserved unique endemic ecosystems and living fossils. At the same time the lake is under increasing pressures from tourism, pollution, overfishing and unregulated construction. A task for the journalists during the course was to gather as much information as possible and then produce actual stories for their publications, with constant coaching and advice from the trainers. All participants produced unique stories by the end of the course. The process offered them know-how, practical tips and a new understanding of the ability and role of environmental journalists in influencing public awareness and the behaviour of authorities, NGOs, businesses and other stakeholders. A breaking story emerged from the training about an initiative for a five-year moratorium on fishing on the lake. As a result of the research, meetings, interviews and phone calls made by the group of journalists, the ministries both in FYR Macedonia and Albania, along with the Ohrid municipality confirmed that they will be considering this initiative with great care. The Albanian deputy minister of environment went even further by committing his country to fully supporting the idea. News of the moratorium initiative emerged unexpectedly at the end of a meeting with a local research institute, and none of the other stakeholders (ministries, municipalities, NGOs) had heard of it before the SEE journalists began the exercise. By the end it was clear the course had been a success, both in terms of study and as a practical exercise, as the participants’ feedback confirmed. Smith will provide the results an independent assessment of the training. The training revealed an ever greater need for work and efforts in the field of environmental media training, particularly in Albania and FYR Macedonia, as well as in the countries of former Yugoslavia. The project team began preparations for a follow-up proposal to be submitted to the ministries of environment and the donors. Contact information Pavel Antonov Project Manager, REReP 2.1 The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe Tel: (36-26) 504-000 Fax: (36-26) 311-294 Email: pavel.antonov@rec.org

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