When you think of countries that are out there on the forefront of conserving nature, North Macedonia doesn't normally spring to the top of most people's mental list.
They have just done something pretty great though. At the end of June the parliament adopted a new law making the Shar Mountains into a new national park.
It's only the fourth national park in the country, and the first one to be created since independence in 1991, but it does cover a big area, 2% of the total area of the country, taking the total covered by national parks up to 11%.
Creating new national parks and protected areas is excellent wherever they are in the world. So, big yay for North Macedonia and let's hope that they and everyone else keep creating new ones, 😃
