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Abstract: The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo increased citizens’ need to use open public spaces. This paper aims to investigate the importance of open public spaces in social life, and how much citizens in Kosovo used them before and during the pandemic. The study is conducted during the quarantine period (2020), through a questionnaire (N = 549) with the use of the Microsoft Forms online tool, and it involved citizens over 18 years old, from over 58 percent of municipalities from all over Kosovo. The results of the study show that during the quarantine period only 20.5% of citizens frequented public spaces every day, and that citizens mostly used them for recreation (26%), meeting with relatives or friends (31%), sports activities (23%), work and other purposes (20%). However, the fear of COVID-19 and the observance of restrictions on movement meant that 24% of citizens did not use open public spaces. Being in open public spaces gave citizens feelings of satisfaction, curiosity, optimism, and calm, and strengthened their self-confidence. Quarantine significantly increased the awareness of citizens about the lack of open public spaces in their neighbourhoods.
Keywords: COVID-19, public spaces, social life, quarantine, Kosovo
Published in DiRROS: 08.07.2026; Views: 150; Downloads: 130
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Abstract: Invasive forest pests represent a major threat to ecosystems and the economy. They are often first detected in urban forests, making these environments strategic for early warning and global forest protection efforts. Although early detection is crucial to the success of eradication measures, the surveillance capacity of official authorities is limited. Citizen science can help bridge this gap—provided that citizens are aware of the stakes and prepared to play an active role. In this context, mainstream media may serve as a key channel to raise public awareness. We surveyed mainstream media coverage of 14 native, invasive alien non-regulated, and quarantine forest pests across 15 European countries, mostly over the 2011–2024 period. Searching for the scientific or common name of these pests in each national language returned more than 16,000 outputs. While quarantine species were mentioned less frequently than native pests, they were more likely to be mentioned in countries where they have occurred, remain present, or have been eradicated. Interestingly, we also found references to quarantine pests in countries where they were not officially reported. This last finding highlights the potential of mainstream media to attract public attention to tree pests before the surge of an outbreak—an opportunity that should be more systematically leveraged to support early detection and citizen engagement, particularly in cities where the risk of introduction and the potential for early detection is the highest.
Keywords: awareness rising, forest, media, quarantine, pest insects
Published in DiRROS: 30.03.2026; Views: 345; Downloads: 298
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