EJN is offering reporting grants to journalists in the Western Balkans to support the production of in-depth stories on biodiversity, including its values, the threats it faces and conservation solutions.

EJN’s Boosting Environmental Coverage in the Western Balkans project aims to expand and strengthen reporting on biodiversity issues in the region, and build the capacity of local journalists to report on urgent and emerging dangers to the region’s ecosystems, as well as the solutions needed to address these threats.

In addition to funding, selected journalists will receive support from experienced mentors through the story production process.

Story themes

They welcome story ideas that focus on:

• Links between biodiversity and either climate change or human health
• The progress of alignment (or lack thereof) between national nature policies and EU accession regulations and environmental directives
• Progress with implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
• The effectiveness of conservation measures, such as protected area management, species-specific interventions, ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions
• The tension between the transition to renewable energy and the need to conserve biodiversity
• Innovative, collaborative or community/locally led conservation initiatives
• Sustainable use of biodiversity
• The benefits and challenges of biodiversity credits or biodiversity offsets
• The use of technologies such as satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to track threats to biodiversity and monitor biodiversity protection measures
• Threats to nature as well as solutions to such threats.

Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience.

Applicants can be from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. Cross-border reporting welcome.

Applications must be in English.