By Alfred Hermida BBC News Online technology staff

Albanians and Serbians are putting ethnic enmities behind them and coming together in cyberspace to protect the environment in Kosovo.

Environmental groups in the region have taken the first tentative steps towards setting up an electronic network to share resources and information.

Activists say that years of conflict in the region have taken their toll on the environment in Kosovo, with polluted rivers, areas stripped of their forests and the capital, Pristina, blanketed in thick smog.

They hope to use the internet to highlight the problems and enable Albanian and Serb activists to work together.

"It's sort of a success for a multi-ethnic Kosovo," said Blerim Vela of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe in Pristina, which is co-ordinating the scheme.

We were a bit concerned about how people would react

Blerim Vela, Sharri.Net

"Most of the people don't know there is an environmental problem.

"So we decided there was a need for an electronic network so that they can disseminate information about the environmental problems."

The network, called Sharri.Net, was set up in February and the organisers aim to have the website up and running by June.

'Serbian courage'

Getting Albanians and Serbs to join forces was not easy. The two sides had to overcome years of fear and mistrust.

Facilities destroyed during the war

The first step was persuading Serbian environmentalists to take part in a workshop in Pristina last January.

It was the first time in three years that a non-governmental group from the northern Serb enclave went to the Kosovan capital.

"We were a bit concerned about how people would react," admitted Mr Vela.

"We were afraid that some groups might not want to work with them. But they thanked the Serbian non-governmental organisation which showed the courage to come here."

Overcoming ethnic differences is only the first hurdle in setting up an electronic network in Kosovo.

The region has been devastated by years of violence, ethnic cleansing and guerrilla warfare. Since the end of the fighting, the international community has been investing time and money in rebuilding Kosovo.

"The reconstruction process is causing the problems," said Blerim Vela. "A lot of money is put on reconstruction, but not on environmental issues.

"But now things are starting to change and major international donors are giving more money to environmental issues."

Getting connected

Funding for the electronic network is coming from the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Some rivers are under threat

At the heart of the proposed electronic network will be a dedicated office in Pristina, available to all environmental groups. They will have four computers, connected to the internet

The facility will also offer free advice on setting up computer networks and publishing on the web once a week.

The aim is to help groups in Kosovo get online by providing them with second-hand computers, donated by a private Dutch company.

In the past, there was only one internet service provider, (ISP), in Yugoslavia, and few Albanians in Kosovo were online.

"Now we have four ISPs, which provide very high quality services," said Mr Vela. "People are now using those services and developing websites."