Usage of the Mountain Areas in the Republic of Macedonia - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 82

Of course, the social factors and the whole community need to be involved in this,
but the intervention of the community is of secondary importance.
In agreement with the country policy, in the last years there has been striving
for development of the small businesses, starting your own business and self-
employment. Parts of these initiatives are being realized in the village boundaries.
Although a part of them have seasonal character, they are still of great importance
for the tenable development of the area. Examples for that are the already exist-
ing drying rooms for wild berries, drying room for mushrooms of local geographic
origin and the local population participates in the gathering of these wild berries
and mushrooms. According to the data of the field researches, whole families from
the villages below Shara Mountain, the villages from Osogovo Mountain, the moun-
tainside of Jakupica exist on the gathering of mushrooms, wild berries, and remedial
plants.
A great deal of mine resources is concentrated in the mountain areas and for
that reason mining is existent in the villages. Such an example is the boundaries of
the village Sasa in the Osogovo Mountains (where there is lead and zinc mine), as
well as the surrounding of Rzanovo where there is nickel and iron ore. These nat-
ural resources are the foundations of the ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy in the
Republic of Macedonia. Here we will also mention the abundance in the mountain
tract of Kozuf where the mine Alchar is located and where the rare loran can be
found.
Mountain areas are the only expanses that have better water potentials. Very
often, these are captured due to the water supply of the local population as well as
the population in the surrounding. Large numbers of rivers abound in hydroelectric
power potential, but this potential is used minimally. Register are around 100 big-
ger springs on Shar Mountain among which is Vrutok with lavishness of 1,500 l/s.
Also, there are around 20 big mountain rivers. They are flowing and have fast and
clear watercourses. The largest are Pena, Mazdrcha, Leshochka River, Tearchanka,
Bistrica, and others. Characteristic for Pelister are 23 rivers with total length of
212 km, which are abundant in trout, etc (Stojmilov, 2003 ). Some of these Mountain
Rivers are used for raising fishponds for trout and carp. One part of them associates
this activity with catering, which accentuates the attractiveness of the area, and the
income is significantly higher (e.g., fishpond in the village Nezilovo - the upper
flow of the river Babuna) (Madzevic et al. 2007 ).
Tourism as a peculiar form of usage of the rural area, although outwardly unpre-
tentious, is slowly enlivened. This usage of mountain areas highlights the possibility
of usage of the natural and anthropogenic tourist motifs. It should be especially
emphasized the possibility for usage which is based on the development of many
types of tourism, such as village inns, eco-tourism, sport and hunting (mountain
hunting grounds at Osogovo, Bistra, and Shar Mountain) and fishing tourism, also
the opportunities for mount climbing, alpinism, etc. Furthermore, using tourism for
promoting of areas where healthy food is produced, as well as village manifestations
and folk traditions, creating of ethno-parks, etc. In some villages in the Republic of
Macedonia for a long time certain manifestations take place, such as the Galichka
wedding in the village of Galichnik, on the July 12th each year, on St. Peter's Day,