Transboundary Prespa Park / Related projects

07 Jul

07/07/2023

The Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) 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...

06 Jul

06/07/2023

The project for Integrated Ecosystem Management in the Prespa Basin in Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other donors ran from 2006 to 2012, and included within its activities was the development of a transboundary monitoring system (TMS), which was put together in collaboration with the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP). As there were no common metrics for the three parts of...

05 Jul

05/07/2023

The Prespa Integrated Ecosystem Management (IEMP) project was a large international project, carried out with Global Environment Facility (GEF) support. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was the implementing agency, and the project was executed in three components, one each for Albania and North Macedonia, and a transboundary component that also referred to Greece. The overall project goal was “The conservation and sustainable use of globally significant biological diversity and...

05 Jul

05/07/2023

In the mid-1970s, the River Devoll (Deavolis in ancient sources), which flows entirely in Albania, was artificially connected with Lesser Prespa Lake, through the opening of a channel. The intervention aimed to use the waters of the lake for the irrigation of the plain of Korçë. However, over the years the sediment carried by the river steadily covered the greater part of the lake on the Albanian side. Thirty years...

05 Jul

05/07/2023

The plan was the first joint project of the three neighbouring countries and one of the first steps towards the formulation of a common vision between the three peoples. Its target was to set the basis for the discussion on the future of the area and form a product of close collaboration between the NGOs actively participating and of several independent experts. The aim of the plan was to outline...

04 Jul

04/07/2023

TThe transboundary Prespa lakes basin is a globally unique place, due to its geomorphology, ecological richness and biodiversity. To be effectively protected this single watershed needs a common management policy from all three states sharing it. Following a proposal and lobbying by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) and World Wide Fund for Nature - Greece (WWF Greece), the transboundary Prespa Park was duly founded in 2000, with...

04 Jul

04/07/2023

Lesser Prespa Lake, Great Prespa Lake and the slopes of the surrounding mountains make up a single natural basin, whose waters can only be protected and preserved as a whole. Thus, cultivating a shared transboundary vision for water resource management has always been a long-term goal of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP). The principle of integrated river basin management is at the core of our work in...

14 Jun

14/06/2023

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,...