On November 30, 2018, an action was carried out for planting poplars and willow seedlings near the coastal belt of the river Bregalnica, near the village of Penush in the municipality of Stip.

The planting was carried out with indigenous species of seedlings characteristic for the region, which contributes to the preservation of nature and biodiversity in the lower course of the river Bregalnica.

The ways for proper planting of the seedlings and instructions on their breeding were presented by professors from the Faculty of Forestry in Skopje.

The afforestation of the coastal vegetation was supported by the Municipality of Stip with the presence of the Mayor Blagoj Bocvarski and some of the municipal councilors and administration, representatives from the local communal enterprises and students from two secondary municipal schools.

The realization of this action is within the framework of the Nature Conservation Programme in Macedonia - Phase 2, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, aimed at restoring the coastal forests along the river Bregalnica and raising the awareness of their basic functions in protection against erosion and flooding the surrounding areas.