Lake Prespa borders North Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
ADVERTISEMENTOne of Europe’s oldest lakes - Lake Prespa in the Balkans - is on the verge of collapse.
Each year, the lake’s waters shrink further due to evaporation, lack of rain and overuse of water for irrigation.
With a surface area of around 260 square kilometres, more than twice the size of Paris, the ancient lake is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, birds, mammals and plants.
It is most famous for its population of nesting Dalmatian pelicans, a globally threatened species. Nine of its 11 native fish species are found nowhere else in the world.
All of this is at risk as the water level continues to sink, now sitting eight metres lower than in the late 1970s.
To stop this natural disaster from progressing further, NGOs from the three countries that border the lake - Albania, Greece and North Macedonia - have joined hands.
They met at the first ever Forum for the Development of the Prespa Region last week to appeal for urgent intervention from their governments.
Action to save Lake Prespa has been stunted
Hopes soared in the year 2000, when the three Balkan nations put aside their political differences, coming together to protect the delicate ecosystem they share.
A political agreement was signed and the trans-boundary Prespa National Park was established. But since then, little progress has been made on the project.
“The non-governmental organisations from the three states want to make an appeal to the institutions and local authorities to speed up efforts regarding institutional connection and the concretisation of action plans,” says Ljupco Krstevski, project coordinator at think-tank Eurthink - the NGO that initiated the EU-sponsored forum.
“A lot of research has been done, a lot of strategic documents have been adopted, but their implementation is lacking,” Krstevski continues, adding that they hope “the three states will take urgent measures as soon as possible.”
Can Lake Constance provide a blueprint for saving Prespa?
At the recent forum, the NGOs sought inspiration from the only other lake in Europe that straddles three borders: Lake Constance.
Representatives of the Lake Constance Foundation presented their experience with managing the unique ecosystem shared by Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Formed by six conservation organisations in 1994, the foundation fosters cooperation between the three countries on everything from resource management to climate change mitigation and adaptation. It works to enhance biodiversity on Lake Constance and manage pollutants such as microplastics in the water.
The foundation’s representative, Volker Kromrey, advised that NGOs should encourage local mayors to pressure city politicians to enforce the commitments made in the Lake Prespa agreement.
Watch the player above for full report.
