The mountains of South-eastern Europe are marked by their great natural diversity and a strong cultural heritage. Albania and Macedonia are largely mountainous, and the other countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia - also have areas of complex mountain territory which are highly variable in their geological history and topography.

Until recently, these countries also experienced war, violence and instability, and thus the development of the mountain areas of these countries was not a priority of national policy. The only, partial, exception was Bulgaria, which also differs from the others through its recent access to the European Union.

At present, with assistance from UNEP's Regional Office for Europe, plans are developing for a convention for this region, building on the experience of the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions. For more detail, go to http://www.fao.org/REGIONAL/Seur/events/Pelister/docs/Assessment.pdf