We work to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Prespa, protecting its rich biodiversity and landscape, side by side with the people who live here.

Guided by scientific knowledge and many years of experience in protecting the area, we strive to limit the effects of climate change and modern lifestyles on the natural environment of Prespa and promote sustainable ways to create a favourable future for generations to come.

We work across borders and see the region as a single place with natural and cultural wealth of unique value. Because of its global significance people from all over the world are interested in preserving the unique heritage of Prespa, we join forces with them and the local community in our efforts, as well as with many academic, institutional, scientific and NGO partners.

Dialogue & Decision-Making

Multilateral dialogue

The SPP holds discussions with the authorities and other bodies that influence the Prespa area, in order to support our work. We listen to the views of others, advocate, intervene, and organise alliances of individuals or organisations where needed, and while we sometimes criticise decisions and policies, we also applaud and support measures that lead to better management of the Prespa basin and the sustainable development of the local economy and society.

We listen to the views of others, advocate, intervene, and organise alliances of individuals or organisations where needed, and while we sometimes criticise decisions and policies, we also applaud and support measures that lead to better management of the Prespa basin and the sustainable development of the local economy and society.

Strengthening and facilitating permanent dialogue, consultation and co-decision structures in the national and transboundary Prespa Park is one of our main tasks, together with the environmental community of Greece on wider issues concerning the country, and at transboundary level in collaboration with our partners in the PrespaNet network.

The SPP cannot realise its long-term goals without local democratic institutions and permanent institutions for dialogue, consultation and decision-making, and the participation of all involved. Only in this way, can different perceptions and interests be bridged, consensus be reached and measures, actions and practices be implemented to move Prespa forward.

Wetland Management Commite

The management of the Lesser Prespa Lake water level has been carried out by an innovative governance system that promoted dialogue between the competent authorities and local bodies, fostering the creation of common perceptions and consensus regarding the values and management of this critical natural resource and empowering the local community to effectively participate in water management planning.

A participatory approach to water governance has always been central to the work of the SPP, involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process. So, in 2008, the SPP initiated the Wetland Management Committee (WMC), as an advisory body to the board of the MBPNP, in which representatives of the central administration, the Decentralized Administration, as well as local agencies and primary sector groups participated.

From 2008 to 2022 the WMC met every year and collectively decided on critical wetland issues, such as the management of the sluice gate controlling water flow from Lesser Prespa to Great Prespa. The SPP participated in this permanent dialogue mechanism, drafting annual reports reviewing water management and suggesting appropriate management proposals for the next hydrological year.

Under the new system of management units for the country’s protected areas the picture is not yet clear with regard to this important participatory decision-making mechanism, however in anticipation of a period of transition the last meeting of the WMC in 2022 approved wetland management guidelines for a five-year period, allowing management to continue smoothly despite the hiatus.

Local Action Group

It is not only governmental authorities, bodies and institutions with which the SPP co-operates and participates, supporting and empowering them with technical and scientific assistance where needed, but also private schemes and local society collectives, such as cultural associations and youth groups. During 2018-2023, as part of the PoliPrespa project, we created a Local Action Group for Prespa, a new multi-participatory mechanism including all those who are interested in and work for the region on the Greek side.

In the PoliPrespa project Prespa’s local authorities, farmers, schools, sports-cultural associations and other local bodies joined forces to implement a major project (2018-2023) that set out to create an innovative model for the development of the country’s protected areas. The core of the ambitious multi-partner PoliPrespa project was the parallel strengthening of Prespa’s social and institutional capital and the sustainable utilisation of the region’s valuable natural and cultural resources, incorporating environmental values in productive and social processes. The co-ordinated co-operation of local bodies in the LAG had a pivotal role in the decision-making processes, and in the success and sustainability of the entire project, as well as being a connecting link and point of reference for the interventions carried out.

In its last year of operation, PoliPrespa has been developing an additional participatory platform online, that will not only act as a portal for visitors to the area, but also provide a means to further include local residents in discussions, dialogue and decision-making for the area, building on the basis created by the formation of the LAG.

Transboundary Prespa Park

Prespa is a globally unique place due to its geomorphology, ecological richness and biodiversity. To be effectively protected, a single watershed needs a common management policy from all three states sharing it and the transboundary Prespa Park, founded in 2000 with the Declaration of the three Prime Ministers of the countries that share the Prespa Basin, following a proposal by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) and WWF Greece, offers the basis for such co-operation between Greece, Albania and North Macedonia.

From 2001 to 2008 a tripartite Co-ordinating Committee for the Prespa Park (PPCC) operated, in which the SPP actively participated and supported the park Secretariat. The PPCC discussed issues concerning Prespa and its inhabitants and planned actions aimed at the harmonised protection and sustainable development of the entire basin. Over the years, the views of the three sides on important issues have converged and consensus has been formed on issues that previously would have been difficult to even discuss, such as water management.

In February 2010, a new era for the cross-border park and particularly water management was opened with an international agreement for the protection and sustainable development of the Prespa Park signed by the three states and the European Union, in order to strengthen its institutional functioning, though the agreement only finally entered into force in 2019.

The new Prespa Park Management Committee (PPMC) and Working Group on Water Management (WGWM) began their long-awaited operation with inaugural meetings in June 2022, milestone events for achieving the SPP’s long-term goal of formal interstate collaboration in the Prespa basin. Representatives of the EC, the three environment ministries, local authorities, protected area authorities and environmental NGOs, represented by the SPP and its PrespaNet partners, continue to meet twice a year in the PPMC and WGWM to carry out the work foreseen in the agreement.

Prespa National Park

Since the establishment of the Management Body for the Prespa National Park (MBPNP) the SPP has not only represented environmental NGOs on its board but also actively supported its operation, transferring know-how and many years of experience on matters of protected area management.

We listen to the views of others, advocate, intervene, and organise alliances of individuals or organisations where needed, and while we sometimes criticise decisions and policies, we also applaud and support measures that lead to better management of the Prespa basin and the sustainable development of the local economy and society.

Strengthening and facilitating permanent dialogue, consultation and co-decision structures in the national and transboundary Prespa Park is one of our main tasks, together with the environmental community of Greece on wider issues concerning the country, and at transboundary level in collaboration with our partners in the PrespaNet network.

The SPP cannot realise its long-term goals without local democratic institutions and permanent institutions for dialogue, consultation and decision-making, and the participation of all involved. Only in this way, can different perceptions and interests be bridged, consensus be reached and measures, actions and practices be implemented to move Prespa forward.

Transboundary Co-operation

Since its establishment in 1991 the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) has understood that protecting Prespa and promoting sustainable development requires close co-operation between the three states sharing the lakes – Greece, Albania and North Macedonia – as well as the stakeholders living and working on all three sides. For these reasons, the SPP has always held transboundary collaboration as a key principle of its approach.

Together with WWF Greece, the SPP proposed and promoted the idea of a transboundary Prespa Park, which was established in 2000, with a joint declaration by the prime ministers of the three states. In 2010 this collaboration was formalised by an international agreement signed by the three states, together with the EU Commissioner for the Environment, ushering in a new era for the park. In the intervening years, the SPP initiated and participated in many activities in order to help secure this co-operation, firmly believing that the only way of tackling both environmental issues and the sustainable development of the basin is through working together in a co-ordinated way for the benefit of all.

Furthermore, after collaborating closely with NGOs on the other sides of the basin for many years, in 2013 the SPP invited two partner organisations to join it in forming an environmental NGO network for Prespa – PrespaNet. Together, the SPP, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) and the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) have worked collaboratively to strengthen conservation efforts in the region through this network.

The three partners produced the Transboundary Strategic Framework (TSF) for conservation in Prespa, which sets out what work needs to be done to protect the area’s precious natural heritage, and are currently working on projects aiming to support their efforts. The establishment of local offices on the other two sides of the basin has been a milestone achievement, securing closer co-operation between the three NGOs and creating more collaborative grounds with local communities. PrespaNet works closely with all authorities for the protected areas in the basin, towards ever closer co-operation and co-ordination between those responsible for the remarkable nature, landscape, and culture in Prespa.