The Ministry of Environment of Albania held a press conference on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day 2004. Mr. Zamir Dedej, Director of the Nature Protection Directorate and government representative in the Prespa Park Co-ordination Committee, made a presentation about the situation of wetlands in Albania and stressed the steps that are undertaken through different environmental projects from the MoE of Albania with the aim to protect the natural and cultural values of these wetlands. In this regard, among others, information was provided to the participants about the Prespa Park initiative and the launching of the PDF B project , which will cover all three countries sharing the Prespa basin.

 

Mr. Dedej explained the main objectives of the Program Development Facility Program - PDF B phase, to which initial funding of approximately $820,000 was granted, provided mainly by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and KfW (German Bank for Reconstruction). These relate to: i) protection of ecosystem values through effective land-use planning, protected area management and integrated water resources management; ii) enhancement of awareness and understanding of the ecological values of the region among the public at all levels; iii) creation of an enabling  environment for sustainable development in the region through appropriate policies, incentives and opportunities, and inter-sectoral co-ordination; iv) building up mechanisms for transboundary co-operation through the strengthening of the PPCC and its Secretariat and exploring options for the establishment of a more permanent regional commission. This first phase will be followed by the multi-annual GEF project entitled “Integrated Ecosystem Management in the Transboundary Prespa Park Region”, with an estimated budget of about $15m.

 

Apart from Albanian journalists, the press conference was also attended by various representatives from the Tirana University, the National Museum of Sciences, experts from the Nature Protection Directorate of the MoE, and the General Directorate of Forestry and Pasture (Ministry of Agriculture and Food) as well as the representatives of different environmental projects related to wetlands.