Three countries, one future

The trilateral Prespa Park, established in 2000, is the first transboundary protected area in the Balkans, preserving fragile ecosystems and tending to the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
Comprising two lakes and their surroundings in Albania, FYR of Macedonia and Greece, the Prespa Park sets an example for neighbourly cooperation for the protection of biodiversity and of natural and cultural resources.

Building on experience and wide support, it is heading towards full institutional maturation and – consequently – increased efficiency in managing sustainable development in the Prespa Lakes Basin.

Although transboundary protected areas (TBPA) are the global trend in efforts to protect the planet’s natural resources, the forms in which states choose to cooperate to achieve this vary. The most common first step in planning a transboundary protected area is starting talks

between governments that eventually lead to the signing of a binding "TBPA Agreement", with enforceable provisions.

Duty to cooperate

All three countries have ratified most of the international treaties relevant for the protection of Prespa Lakes Basin biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural heritage:

European Union (EU) policies play a special role, since Greece is member country, and Albania and FYR of Macedonia are aspiring members in the process of adjusting their legal systems to Aquis Communitaire.  The relevant EU Directives are:
•    Directive 79/409/EEC on the protection of birds;
•    Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and wild flora and fauna (Habitats/ NATURA 2000 Directive); and
•    Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive).

Towards the Prespa Park

Four national parks and several international protected areas lie within the Prespa Lakes Basin.

Pelister National Park (FYR of Macedonia) is the oldest protected area in the basin, proclaimed in 1948 covering some 10,000 ha of mountainous ecosystems, including the primary habitat of the Macedonian Pine, or Balkan Pine. In 1958 Galicica National Park was proclaimed to protect 25,000 ha of woodland and the exceptionaly rich biodiversity. The country’s part of Macro Prespa has been designated a Monument of Nature in 1977.

Prespa National Forest (PNF) in Greece was designated in 1974 covering 19,470 ha, including Micro Prespa Lake and a Wildlife Refuge - Sfika. In 1975 it was declared a Landscape of exceptional beauty, and designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Strictly Protected Ornithorogical Reserve Ezerani together with the rest of the FYR of Macedonian part of Prespa lake have been designated a Ramsar site, i.e. a Wetland of International Importance in 1995. In Albania, Prespa National Park was established in 1999.

Under the EEC/EU policies the whole catchment basin on the Greek side has been included in the Europe-wide network of protected areas NATURA 2000.

In 1999 the Greek Society for the Protection of Prespa was honoured with the Ramsar Convention Award for its pioneer conservation work in Micro Prespa.

Decades-long efforts to draw attention to the need for the protection of Prespa was crowned on the World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2000, when the three Prime Ministers jointly signed the Prespa Park Declaration.

They also issued a wide mandate for “enhanced co-operation among competent authorities in our countries with regard to environmental matters”, and especially consideration of joint actions.

Prespa Park Coordination Committee

The establishment of a Transboundary Protected Area provides a way to effectively coordinate management over a whole region. Example of this is the preservation and management of the lakes’ water quality and quantity, and fauna that cross state boundaries. Joint research and monitoring programmes eliminate duplication, standardise methodologies, and share expensive equipment. Basin-wide monitoring, in particular, acquires extremely high added value.

The Prespa Park Coordination Committee (PPCC) is a ten-member body representing governments, local authorities and environmental non-governmental organisations from the three countries, and one ex-officio member from Ramsar/MedWet. The work of the PPCC is supported by its Secretariat, seated in Aghios Germanos, Greece. The PPCC ensures stakeholder participation in the planning of joint activities in the area.

One of its main early accomplishments was the completion of the Strategic Action Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Prespa Park which lays down a joint vision for the transboundary basin, identifies the main management issues and aims to guide future activities for the region.

The PPCC has initiated and overviews the progress of several transboundary initiatives, including the development of a Transboundary Monitoring System and the establishment of a Transboundary Water Management Working Group. ♦