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 2nd 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
Prespa is a high-altitude basin at approximately 850 metres above sea level, which includes two inter-linked lakes, the Micro Prespa (47.4 km2) and the Macro Prespa (259.4 km2). The lakes, along with the surrounding forested mountain slopes of Pelister mt (which reaches the highest peak at 2,601 m), Galichitsa mt, Mali i Thate mt, Varnountas mt and Triklario mt (Sfika) form a total catchment basin of 1,386 km2. There are four islands in the lakes: Aghios Achillios and Vidronissi at the Greek part of Micro Prespa and Mali Grad and Golem Grad in Macro Prespa in
Prespa is well known for its natural beauty and its high biodiversity. The region is considered an ecological entity of global significance, as it hosts a variety of biotopes -lakes, mountains and forests- with unique characteristics. What is more, at present times of increasing exploitation of natural resources and rapid erosion of wetlands, Prespa still continues to be a healthy ecosystem preserving a significant amount of its natural values.
Lakes Micro and Macro Prespa are among the oldest ones of Europe and therefore host a large number of endemic species (i.e. that cannot be encountered anywhere else in the world). More than 1,500 species of plants (including several endemics) and more than 40 species of mammals -among them the endangered wolf (Canis lupus), the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the otter (Lutra lutra)- are recorded in the area
The avifauna of Prespa is of international importance due to both its richness -the area hosts 261 species of birds- and the presence of significant populations of globally endangered and/or rare species. The globally rare Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), has in Prespa its largest breeding concentration. In Prespa the only breeding colony of the Great White pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in the European Union is also encountered, while the globally endangered Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) also breeds in the basin. The area also hosts significant populations of the endangered Pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) and of seven rare heron species - such as the Great White egret (Egretta alba). In addition, in the wider Prespa area 11 species of amphibians, 22 species of reptiles and 23 fish species (7 out of the 12 indigenous fish species are endemic) are recorded.
