KEERC has three functions: environmental education, environmental research, and networking. Therefore, the center should include an exhibition on nature in Kosovo, a classroom, a scientific collection (plus a database and library), and conference rooms. Support for KEERC is expected to come from various sources.
Environmental Education: Schools will find an extracurricular learning space in the future KEERC. In addition to visiting the natural history exhibition in the classroom, exercises on animal and plant biology and ecology can be conducted. Teacher training sessions are also conceivable. Kosovar universities can host events related to landscapes, habitats, communities, and species. Possible activities include courses on plant and animal identification, ecological studies, field ecological methods, morphological-systematic special courses, and courses on preparation techniques and collection care. Foreign universities and research museums could use the center as an excursion base (field station), for example, in documenting animal and plant species in Kosovo. Tourists and local visitors would learn essential aspects of the ecology of national parks through the exhibition.
Environmental Research: The future KEERC building and equipment should assist universities from both domestic and foreign locations, as well as individual researchers, in conducting on-site ecological and biogeographical research. Data on the distribution of animals, plants, and fungi in Kosovo will be collected (species register), which can be used for the creation or revision of Red Lists. Collected animals and plants will be professionally prepared for scientific and didactic collections. Additionally, a laboratory for simple water and soil analysis will be established.
Networking: KEERC's premises should allow for discussions, conferences, and meetings to generate synergies. It will serve as a meeting point for various stakeholders in the natural and environmental sector. Ideally, on-site accommodation options for groups will also be offered.
Formation of the NGO "KEERC Association"
In 2017, the NGO "KEERC Association" was established in Prishtina, Kosovo. The registered association originated from a student initiative and advocated for the dissemination of the KEERC idea. Activities were promoted through social media. Contacts with Albanian/Kosovar associations and networks were established, and several presentations about the KEERC concept were given, resulting in pledges of support.
To determine how an environmental center like KEERC could be implemented, the department applied for funding through the Beratungshilfeprogramm (BHP) of the Umweltministerium (UBA) in the spring of 2023. The approved project, scheduled from August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2025, aims to achieve four goals:
1. Preparation of a feasibility study for the establishment of KEERC.
2. Networking and public relations.
3. "Exemplary Implementations" - trial implementation of training events.
4. Initial concrete steps for the sustainability of KEERC
For this purpose, a project manager and two project assistants have been employed in Kosovo, along with a project coordinator at the University of Konstanz. Cooperation with EuroNatur (Radolfzell) and local experts has been established.
The establishment of a project office at the University of Prishtina and a field station (LINK) in Prizren aims to support the process. Perspective ITP (Innovation and Training Park): In 2017, the municipality of Junik initially promised an empty municipal building for the establishment of KEERC. However, this commitment was later withdrawn. In 2018, the applicants contacted the Kosovo Embassy in Berlin and engaged in discussions with representatives of the Foreign Office. Fruitful contacts were established with the German Embassy in Prishtina, and an agreement with GIZ on-site ensured that the former site of the German KFOR troops in Prizren would be made available for future excursions. The area is planned to be transformed into an "Innovation and Training Park" (ITP). This development may offer opportunities for establishing KEERC.