Lake Prespa borders North Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
One of Europe’s oldest lakes, Lake Prespa in the Balkans, is about to explode.
Every year, the water in the lake decreases due to evaporation, lack of rain and excessive use of water for irrigation.
Covering an area of about 260 square kilometers, the ancient lake, more than twice the size of Paris, is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, birds, mammals and plants.
The island is best known for its population of endangered Dalmatian pelicans. Nine of the eleven native fish species are found nowhere else in the world.
All of this is at risk as the water level continues to drop eight meters below what it was in the late 1970s.
In order to prevent further progress of this natural disaster, the NGOs of the three countries bordering the lake – Albania, Greece and North Macedonia – have united.
They gathered at the first Prespa Regional Development Forum last week and urged their governments to intervene urgently.
Efforts to save Lake Prespa are delayed
Hopes rose in 2000 when the three Balkan countries set aside their political differences and united to protect the delicate ecosystem they share.
A political agreement was signed and the Prespa transboundary national park was established. However, little progress has been made on the project since then.
Ljupco Krstevski, project coordinator at the Eurthink think tank, the NGO behind the EU, explains: “NGOs in the three countries want to appeal to institutions and local authorities to speed up efforts to implement institutional linkages and action plans.” – sponsored forum.
“Many studies have been conducted, many strategic documents have been adopted, but their implementation is lacking,” Krstevski said, adding that he hoped “the three states will take urgent measures as soon as possible.”
Could Lake Constance be a model for saving Prespa?
At a recent forum, NGOs drew inspiration from Europe’s only other tri-border lake: Lake Constance.
Representatives of the Lake Constance Foundation presented their experience in managing the unique ecosystem shared by Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Established in 1994 by six conservation organizations, the fund promotes cooperation among the three countries in areas as diverse as resource management, mitigation and adaptation to climate change. It works to protect the biodiversity of Lake Constance and manage pollutants such as microplastics present in the water.
Foundation representative Volker Kromrey advised NGOs to encourage local mayors to put pressure on municipal politicians to fulfill the commitments made in the Prespa Lake Treaty.