Prespa Park

Introduction

The Prespa Park was established with the joint Declaration of the Prime Ministers of Albania, Greece, and the FYR of Macedonia, on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day, on 2^nd February 2000, in Aghios Germanos, Greece. The Park, which includes the Micro and Macro Prespa Lakes and the surrounding mountains, constitutes the first transboundary protected area in the Balkans.     

The main purpose of the establishment of the Prespa Park is the environmental protection and sustainable development of the wider area for the benefit of nature conservation and for the prosperity of its inhabitants and future generations. As mentioned in the joint Prime Ministers’ Declaration, "the conservation and protection of an ecosystem of such importance not only renders a service to Nature but it also creates opportunities for the economic development of the adjacent areas that belong to the three countries. Furthermore, the long history of the human presence in the area proves the compatibility of traditional activities and knowledge with the conservation of nature."

The Declaration further defines the objectives of the Prespa Park as follows: a) to maintain and protect the unique ecological values of the area, b) to prevent and/or reverse the causes of its habitat degradation, c) to explore appropriate management methods for the sustainable use of the Prespa Lakes water, and d) to spare no efforts so that the Prespa Park becomes and remains a model of its kind, as well as an additional reference to the peaceful collaboration among the three countries.

 

In order to promote the co-operation among the three countries, so that to achieve the environmental protection and sustainable development of the Prespa Lakes and their surroundings, a trilateral Prespa Park Co-ordination Committee (PPCC) has been established, with government, local society and non-governmental representation of all three countries. The PPCC has also appointed a Secretariat consisting of three persons from the collaborating non-governmental organisations. These two bodies have already undertaken a series of activities and joint programmes, in order to translate the political commitment into a tangible reality for the environment and the people of Prespa.