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Twenty-six samples of spices most frequently occurring in the stores of the Republic of Macedonia were examined for their fungal contamination and the incidence of Aspergillus and Penicillium species and their teleomorphs. It included mainly commercial packages most frequently occurring in the stores of the Republic of Macedonia. According to the relative frequency of each of the isolated species, the typical mycoflora of these samples includes A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, P. chrysogenum and Eurotium sp. Fungal counts varied from log10 < 2 CFU g-1 (DG18 at 25oC; DRBC at 25oC), for a sample of paprika, to log10 6.17 CFU g-1 (DG18 at 25oC), for a sample of bay leaf. During the experiment, A. flavus was detected in 17 samples, out of which 7 isolates were capable of producing Af-B1, and 4 isolates produced Af-B2. All isolates of A. nomius and A. parasiticus, in the experimental conditions, produced Af-B1, Af-B2, Af-G1 and Af-G2

In recent decades, scholars from both natural and social sciences have been preoccupied with the development of theoretical models and management tools that integrate the concept of place into the theory and practice of ecosystem management. Previous research suggests that the concepts of place and place-based identity can be used as powerful tools for a multi-scalar contextual analysis of person-environment interactions. The purpose of this exploratory study was to contribute to these endeavors by specifically focusing on the ways whereby ideas and concepts of the biophysical environment relate to the construction of place-based identity at the regional scale by using the Prespa watershed as a case study. This paper presents the results of this study following an iterative process of data gathering and analysis of interview transcripts and other ethnographic materials, such as publications, documents, and news reports and articles. The results show that the identity of Prespanners is related to places of various geographical scales (e.g., the home, a village, a sub-watershed, the whole watershed, and a nation), or (most likely) a mixture of all. Because place locates the perspective from which people assign meaning to their biophysical and the social environment, they may adopt different positions on an environmental issue or focus on different values, depending on the importance of a particular place-based identity. The implication for ecosystem management is that people's perceptions and evaluations of ecosystems and their services are not based solely on utility criteria, but also depend on meanings arising in everyday experience and interactions with places where the self is constantly negotiated, constructed, and reconstructed. By focusing on the context of meanings ascribed to the biophysical environment the concept of place helps understand and unravel the power relations and ideology shaping these meanings. This study highlights the need of research programs and procedures for ecosystem management planning that account for place-based meanings.

Protected areas work in complex environments in which they have to liaise with governments, scientific and civil society organizations, volunteers, local stakeholders, visitors, and funders. This requires next to thematic expertise on conservation, among others legal, management, financial, administrative and communications skills and capacities. Especially the smaller protected areas struggle to efficiently operate in all these specialized fields and often lack enough in-house capacity and resources. This chapter highlights the lessons learned and evolvement of various forms of partnerships in different countries on different continents (collaborative arrangement in Laos and different formal and informal arrangements in the Western Balkans). Core to the success is to build sufficient capacity within the protected area management authorities so they understand the priorities and the resources needed to fund, manage and implement these priorities. Specialized skills and capacities needed for effective protected area management are limited in most countries and it is inefficient and too expensive to build this capacity in-house. Having a clear vision on what needs to be done and building a strong cooperation between partners through effective communication is the key to success to come to more effective protected area management either on a national, regional or transboundary level.