Press Release

Prespa: One of the most important wetlands in the Mediterranean

2 February 2007

This year’s World Wetlands Day is dedicated to Fisheries. Large populations of fish reproduce and live in inland and coastal wetlands (lakes, rivers and river mouths). The health of these ecosystems is crucial for the survival of millions of people, and therefore their wise management is of vital importance.

One way to assess the status of wetlands is the degree of threat posed to the species dependent upon them. For this reason, the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN) publishes the so-called “Red Lists”, which include all the species imminently under threat. According to the “Red List of Freshwater Fish in the Mediterranean”, recently updated by IUCN, Prespa is characterized as one of the ten most important wetlands in the Mediterranean. More specifically, from the eleven (11) autochthonous fish species living in the area, eight (8) are endemic, i.e. they are encountered only in Prespa and nowhere else in the world.

At the same time, the IUCN report highlights the threats these species are faced with. All endemic fish species in Prespa, except the minnow, are characterized as Threatened, while the populations of the trout and the chub are at a state which raises concerns and has led to their designation as Endangered.

The Society for the Protection of Prespa, in collaboration with the French research foundation Tour du Valat, systematically monitors the Prespa fish populations in Greece during the last fifteen years. On the basis of this research concrete management measures have been proposed for the protection of some species, such as the endemic Prespa barbel. Implementation of these measures has already started on the Greek side; however, for the survival of the species it is necessary to extend them appropriately also in the other two countries.

The endemic Prespa trout Salmo peristericus is the most ancient species of trout in the Mediterranean. The species is currently designated as Endangered due to its limited geographical expansion (endemicity), shrinkage of its biotope (restriction of the population in a few segments of the rivers in the transboundary Prespa Park), but also because of various human interventions, such as illegal fishing. Aiming at contributing to the protection of this unique species, the Society for the Protection of Prespa has begun a research for assessing the population and distribution of trout in the rivers of the Prespa basin, in Greece and in the FYR of Macedonia. This research project is implemented in collaboration with local NGOs in the neighbouring country and the foundation Tour du Valat, and is funded by WWF-Greece. The project aims at preparing a Species Action Plan, which would lay down specific management measures for the protection of the species in the entire catchment basin of the Prespa Park.

The above actions create the necessary initial conditions for the preservation of endemic fish species in Prespa and consequently of the biodiversity of the region. However, it is necessary for the three countries to coordinate their efforts, so that Prespa would continue being one of the most significant wetlands in the Mediterranean.