Pelicans / Related projects

The principal aim of this project was to improve the conservation status of the Dalmatian pelican and the pygmy cormorant, but the activities also directly benefited at least 18 other species covered by the Birds Directive. The main actions included the reconstruction of a sluicegate that channels water from Lesser Prespa Lake (Mikri Prespa) into Great Prespa Lake (Megali Prespa), in order to improve water-level management of the former; the...

The Pelican network was developed in 2013 aiming to establish a useful and dynamic tool for pelican conservation, and now has 73 members spread over 23 different countries. It provides a platform for exchanging useful information in almost real time and serves as a basis for building partnerships, sharing knowledge and promoting conservation activities for pelicans in SE Europe, with regular updates, queries and fruitful discussions between members of the...

Systematic work on pelicans and their wetland habitat in Prespa started in the early 1980s. The “International Pelican Research and Conservation Programme” achieved its primary task over the ensuing decades, resulting in a tremendous increase in numbers of Dalmatian pelicans, which is an impressive outcome of the longest effort ever made in Greece for a single bird species. Nesting pairs of Dalmatian pelicans rose from ca. 200 in 1991 to...

The gradual reduction of traditional animal husbandry over time, combined with various practical problems, has gradually limited the extent of the managed surfaces around Lesser Prespa Lake. Due to reduced water inflows, mainly because of climate change, the lake’s water level no longer rises sufficiently enough to create wet meadows, and this is leading to further shrinkage of waterbird feeding grounds. In 2016, the Society for the Protection of Prespa...

The Society for the Protection of Prespa was established in 1991 by two visionaries, Dr Luc Hoffman and Thymios Papayannis, who wanted to create an organisation that would work collaboratively to protect Prespa's remarkable nature and culture, through scientific principles and dialogue, ensuring that all those who strived for the conservation of this incredible and biodiverse corner of SE Europe spoke with a single and effective voice.Many partners and donors...