Creation of TBR Ohrid Prespa Watershed an opportunity for better usage of the green resources SEE PhytoChemNet Workshop Prepared by : Arian MEROLLI Plovdiv 29-31 Maj 2013
Description of Lake Ohrid and Its Watershed -The Ohrid and Prespa Lakes Basin are a high altitude system (695-2600 m) with a catchment area of over 2.500 km 2 ; -It cover parts of the territories of AL, MK and Greece -The basin is home to nearly 200.000 people with the majority residing in the MK -The ecosystem and the biodiversity of the Region are very reach result of geography, soil types and clime. - In the basin have high species diversity and endemic species, (so 10 of the 17 identified fish species of the Lake Ohrid are endemic, ) - The Region has been recognized as a European and Global Hotspot of Biodiverity,
Transboundary Cooperation in the Ohrid Lake Basin Dates back to 1956 when an agreement between Yugoslavia and Albania on "Questions of Water Management" was ratified. Joint Water Management Committee was established but became ineffective soon after its establishment. The first initiative for restoring the cooperation between two countries came from the World Bank in 1994 concerning Ohrid Lake and their watershed. Result of the Donor s Conference held in October 1996 in Ohrid was signing 2 nd agreement Memorandum of Understanding between AL and MK and new project Lake Ohrid Conservation Project, in November 1996.
Lake Ohrid Conservation Project - The LOCP has been the first project of its kind in the SEE. - GEF supported.implemented by the World Bank. - Started in 1998 and ended in 2004. The primary objective : to develop the basis for JONIT MANAGEMENT and PROTECTION of the Lake promoting cost-effective solutions to transboundary natural resources management & pollution problems provide the basis for SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC development of the watershed.
Lake Ohrid conservation project It comprised four major components : Component A, or institutional strengthening component, focused on increasing the capacity enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, standards and policies in each country. Component B, or monitoring component, focused on establishing a comprehensive bi-national monitoring program. Component C, the participatory watershed management component, aimed to mobilize groups within the watershed to create a strategic action plan. Component D, the public awareness and participation component, aimed to create public awareness and increase community participation
Main Achievements under LOCP Establishment of joint institutions for the project management (e.g. LOMB, Institutional Strengthening Task Force, Monitoring Task Force, Watershed Management Committees); Unification of procedures for water monitoring in Lake Ohrid and its tributaries (Joint Protocols for sampling analyzing and quality assurance); Improvement of environmental legislation, regulations, standards in accordance with EU Directives; Published of first Joint State of Environment Report for Ohrid Lake and their watershed. 50 scientists and experts of both countries contributed for this document; But Joint Agreement for Protection and Sustainable Development of Lake Ohrid and its Watershed as follow-up of this project.
Basis for further enhancement of cooperation Indeed, cooperation has been enhanced through the implementation of LOCP : The Agreement for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Lake Ohrid and its Watershed between the Albania and Macedonia signed on 17.06.2004 by the Prime Ministers and ratified by the Parliaments of the two countries in 2005 The Lake Ohrid Watershed Committee (LOWC) was established with legal authority over the entire Lake Ohrid watershed.a forum for cross-border dialogue and an institutional mechanism for bilateral negotiation and joint decision-making. The Secretariat of the Committee has been established in September 2005 in Ohrid to provide logistical and technical support to the LOWC. One representative from each country has been appointed in the secretariat.
New Bilateral Agreement, Objectives 1 Integrated protection and sustainable development for Lake Ohrid and its watershed, according to the European Union standards ; 2 Give to the Lake Ohrid and its watershed the status of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (AL side) and the status Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO; 3 Prepare the conditions for the approval by the Council of Europe s proposal to designate the Prespa-Ohrid area as one of Euro-regions in Southeastern Europe.
Watershed management Bilateral Committee Bilateral body, responsible for current activities in the watershed Composed of an equal number of members, (10) from each party 3 titular of Central Governments, Ministry of environment, Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4 titular of Local Governments Mayer of Pogradec Mayer of Bucimas Mayer of Udenisht Mayer of Liqenas 1 representative of local NGO-s 1 non voting representative of donor community 1 representative in Joint Secretariat (a technical body) Total 20 representatives
1 st Objective: Give to the Ohrid Lake and its watershed the status of Nature and Culture heritage site 1 Phase : - Pilot Project on the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region, (ALBANIAN SIDE) ; - Organise a workshop by the World Heritage Centre in cooperation with Albania as a first step, based a Decisions of the World Heritage Committee ( 34 COM 12 and 35 COM 12). - A workshop on World Heritage nominations was held on 4-5 April in Hotel Lychnidas near Pogradec. The workshop was attended by numerous participants from Albania representing various stakeholder groups 2 Phase Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid Region, - Location : Albania, Korca Region: Pogradec Municipality and the surrounding Lake Ohrid area, - Duration : 30 months, starting in September 2013 - Implemented by ; UNESCO.
2 nd Objective: Give to the Lake and its watershed the status of TBR Road Map of the process : 1 st step. 4 th meeting of the WMC for Ohrid and Prespa lakes held on Ohrid 2008. In the Conclusions of this meeting item 2 was decided : Starting of the process To Give to the Lake Ohrid and Prespa area the status of of Biosphere Reserve, based on the MAB Program of UNESCO; 2 nd step. Meetings with all stakeholder-s in this region, including potential partners in this process, (representative of NP, NGO-s, local activities, farmers, etc). - 15 meetings with central and local authority, (Min of Env. AL and MK, Municip. of Ohrid, Struga, Deberca, Resen, Bitola, Vevcani and Pogradec, Bucimas, Udenisht, Cerrave, Liqenas, Proger, Bilisht, Agios Germanos, Prespa, Follorine). all local units in transit zone of TRB. - 9 meetings with representative of NP Prespa, (AL part, Galicica, Pelister, Prespa Greek local and regional Forestry Services Korce, Pogradec, Resen, Bitola, Follorine)
2 nd Objective: Give to Ohrid and Prespa lakes region the status of TBR Road Map of the process : A Declaration was signed in 2000, and the Agreement for protection and sustainable development of the Prespa Park Area, were signed by the Ministers for the Environment of the three States sharing the Prespa Lakes Area in 2010, In 2011 a trilateral conference was held in Ohrid and a resolution was elaborated, Scenarios for the creation of a transboundary biosphere reserve have been elaborated and submitted to the ministries for approval, A communication strategy was elaborated and implemented
2 nd Objective: Give to the Lake and its watershed the status of TBR Road Map of the process : A commitment declaration was elaborated and discussed with all important stakeholders in the region. (Except the Greek Ministry for Environment which has not reacted) The Declaration was signed by the Ministers for environment, Mr. Fatmir Mediu and Mr. Abdulaqim Ademi, the Mayors and the Directors of the National Parks: Galicica, Pelister and Prespa, Albania The intensive cooperation with the National UNESCO Commissions was established and the initiative for establishment of the National MAB Committees was started in both countries
Three Pillars of a Biosphere Reserve 1. Conservation four National parks, Nature Monuments, Landscape protected zones 2. Sustainable Development 3. Logistics (Science, Education, awareness) Universities Ohrid and Korca, Scientific institutes Media etc.
Ohrid Prespa Watershed The Ohrid and Prespa lakes and their catchment basin are regulated and protected under a series of national, EU and international legal instruments. In Albania and Greece, more or less is covered by a single protected area in the form of National Park. In the FYR of Macedonia, on the other hand, the Prespa catchment is includes at least three separate protected areas.
In Albania, (PNP-AL), Ohrid Prespa Watershed Total surface of 277.50 km 2, Established in 1999 by the Council of Ministers Decree 80/1999. The surface of the PNP-AL includes agricultural land, forests, pastures and meadows, the whole aquatic area of the two Prespa Lakes on the Al side and unproductive surfaces. It is composed by three zones: Protected zone I (strictly protected area), Protected zone II (managed zone) and Protected zone III (development zone).
Ohrid Prespa Watershed In Greece, the "Prespa National Forest" (PNF) with a surface area of 194.70 km 2 instituted by Presidential Decree 46/1974. This area was Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), parts of the NATURA 2000 Network, according to EU law (Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC). The four main protection zones include: 1. Zones of Absolute Protection of Nature; 2. Zones of Protection of Nature; 3. Zones of Eco-development; 4. Sites of Protected Natural formations and Landscapes. The Ramsar site covers the surface of Micro Prespa (Greek part) and the reedbeds on its banks, with a total area of 50,78 km2.
Ohrid Prespa Watershed In Macedonia the main areas under a precise protection status are the following: 1. Strict Nature Reserve "Ezerani" (ESNR) - 20.80 km 2 their surface and - 189.20 km 2 with part of the lake designated Ramsar site, 2. National Park "Pelister" (NPP) - Designated in 1948 covering an area of 125.00 km 2. - NPP has a very diverse flora, and significant fauna. 3. National Park "Galicica" (GNP) - Designed in 1958, and covering 227.50 km 2 - characteristic flora and fauna of woods, - Part of the NP extends outside the Prespa basin to the shore of Lake Ohrid.
Ohrid Prespa Watershed 1. Ohrid region and it s part of the Lake Ohrid were accepted as Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, 2. The nomination of the Albanian part of the Lake Ohrid for a World Heritage Site is under preparation, 3. The Ramsar nominations for Albanian and Greek part of the Macro Prespa Lake are submitted to the Ramsar Secretariat,
Biotic Environment This territory shared between 3 countries is characterized by great diversity of wild plants, a considerable part of which consists of a variety of aromatic and medicinal herbs. Prespa Park can be classified in the Balkan subzone of the Sub-Mediterranean vegetation zone. The areas with aquatic vegetation have special conservation importance. But..there is no complete inventory of the flora of this area, however many endemic species of the Balkan Peninsula have been detected (SPP et al 2005, Petkovski et al 2008).
Medical plants in this area Based on different studies, more than 70 medicinal and aromatic plant species have been identified for this area, Ohrid and Prespa region. Most of the species are traded on the German drug market. (half of them are listed in the German pharmaceutical market). Collection of some of these plants is one of the income sources for the families living in those areas. An example of a simple assessment of the above in a case in the village of Gollomboc is as follows: in 2008 a farmer owning a farm of 400 m 2 planted with mountain tea benefited some 700 Euro, and this amount was higher compared to the profit from a land of 800 m 2 cultivated with crops. Local collectors are collecting and trading a variety of plants: Mountain Tea (Sideritis raeseri), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Perforate St. John s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), Thyme (Thymus spp.), Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale), Common Juniper (Juniperus communis), Red Barried Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) and Burning bush (Dictamnus albus)
Legislation The Albanian law No. 7722 dated 15. 06. 1993, concerning the Conservation of the stock of medicinal ether- oleaginous and naturally tanniferous plants The medicinal plants on pastures and meadows may be harvested by legal persons on the basis of prior licensing procedure by the competent authority, Responsible authority for control of the activity and licensing process is Environmental Inspectorate based in this low. In FYROM is not regulated by any law. There are only general provisions for plant protection in the Law on Nature Protection (Official Gazette of RM, 67/2004). In Greece, the Management Body of the NPs are dealing with protected area and biodiversity conservation issues, and are the main organization with this scope.
Why do we need a TBR in the Ohrid-Prespa region? The new status TBR will influence stakeholders to modify their current resource management practices. One of the main outcomes of this initiative is in the long run a healthy Prespa Basin ecosystem must be maintained through transboundary consensus and effective transboundary action. At the same time, effective transboundary action is only as good as the ability of each littoral State to effect change within their respective national sectors Therefore, this initiative focused : 1- on strengthening the capacity, 2- joint management approaches and mechanisms and 3- education and increasing the public awareness
Objective of TBR Objectives: - Investigation of related species and plant communities - Identification of best practices of management for economic exploitation - Identification of local collectors, training and licensing of harvesters - Development of in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures. - Promotion of cultivation techniques on the Albanian side of the NP, - Development of fair and modern marketing tools, along with conservation campaign. Are involve : - the authorities of the national parks, - farmers associations, and other stakeholders
Key results of TBR activities Rapid assessment of the priority spicies and habitats in this region Recommendations for immediate better usage and small scale conservation management interventions; Status papers on the priority habitats (Mountain Tea, Grecian Juniper Forest, etc) A action Plan for better usage and conservation for Mountain Tea, Grecian Juniper and other medical/aromatic plants Public information brochures/leaflets on the selected priority habitats (Mountain Tea, Juniper Forest, ets) Implementation of this Strategic Action Plan will contribute to a more effective management of the biodiversity of Ohrid Prespa.
Definition of the boundaries of the future TBR
Definition of the boundaries of the future TBR
Next activities towards nomination of the TBR Ohrid Prespa Watershed Elaboration of the final map of the territory which will be nominated as a Traansnoundary Biosphere Reserve Consultations with the determined target groups for development of the strategic development goals for the nomination form preparation Elaboration, adoption and endorsement of the nomination form Joint Nomination by the State Institutions submission of the Nomination Form to the UNESCO Advisory Committee in September 2013
Thank you for your attention