Raising Awareness / Related projects

“How many know in all its dimensions the role that fish and fisheries have played in the shaping of Prespa both in the past and today? How many know that the fish fauna of Prespa are unique and that the tasty fish that they might enjoy on their plate exists nowhere else in the world? How many know the close relationship between the wealth of birdlife to be found in...

An important part of the cultural heritage of the region is the local traditional architecture. Today’s Prespa has a designated ‘traditional settlement’, Psaradhes and a ‘protected settlement’, Agios Germanos. In both villages there are buildings preserved that date mainly to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were built with stone, wood, soil and reeds, materials that people could easily find in their natural environment. Houses with large outdoor...

The Prespa Centre for Nature and Anthropos (PCNA) was founded in 2004 as a distinct part of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP). In essence it is a centre for all the documentation about the natural and cultural heritage of the entire Prespa basin. The PCNA’s mission is twofold: on the one hand, to bring together, archive and make available to the public the total body of knowledge...

In a nutshell, this project addresses a large proportion of the programme of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) for the overall conservation and protection of Greek and transboundary Prespa, as foreseen in the organisation’s Strategic Framework for the period 2023-2027, as well as support for core administrative and managerial work. These efforts aim to contribute to achieving the long-term goals set out in the previous strategic framework,...

The Prespa basin is located at the borders between Greece, Albania and Macedonia. It is surrounded by mountains and contains two lakes. The Prespa lakes contain around 23 species of fish, including nine that are endemic. Native carp are important to the fishery sector. However, the introduction of non-native species poses a threat to the structure of endemic fish populations. Long-term monitoring has shown, for example, that Prussian carp (Carassius...

Despite their seemingly small length and significance, Prespa’s streams and river, together with their distinct riparian vegetation and habitats, are ecologically important biodiversity hotspots and a valuable source of water and life for Prespa, the lakes and their adjacent wetlands. Aiming to better understand and promote the functions and values of these waterways and riparian habitats on the Greek side of Prespa, the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP)...

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...