Dust clouds on Šar Planina as off‑road vehicles ignore park rules
Quad bikes and cross‑motorcycles kick up dust across Šar Planina; park authorities say a vehicle regime and trail map exist but are not always respected.
Clouds of dust rise over large parts of the Šar Planina during the summer as quad bikes, cross-motorcycles and similar off‑road vehicles crisscross the park's terrain. Although there are currently no wildfires, the noise and thick dust left in the vehicles' wake bother other visitors and residents of villages inside the protected area.
Park managers say the problem is not new: since the park was established a traffic regime for motor vehicles was introduced and a detailed map marking permitted trails was prepared, but some guests fail to follow the rules.
Rules published, signs installed
According to park staff, the movement regime was adopted to balance conservation and recreational use. The authorities published the map with allowed and prohibited roads on the park's website and installed signs at all entrances to the protected area.
Visitors who ride off‑road vehicles often create clouds of dust that reduce visibility on paths and disturb the quiet many people come to the mountains for; locals living in villages inside the National Park also report disruptions to daily life from the vehicles' noise and airborne dust.
"With the declaration as a National Park, a new protection regime was introduced, initially in accordance with the Law on Nature Protection, which requires certain zones to be inaccessible to motor vehicles. For that purpose a movement regime was created three years ago, when the institution adopted this regime, and we published the map of allowed and prohibited roads on our website and placed signs at all entrances. We made a balance where there will be quiet zones, as well as zones where this group of visitors who want this kind of riding will be able to visit the National Park," says Anela Stavrova-Panajotova of National Park Šar Planina.
Park officials call on visitors to respect marked trails and the park's regime; they say continued disregard could force stricter controls or temporary closures of some routes to protect habitats and local communities.
Photo: SDK.MK)
