PRESPA PARK – A place of beauty and an international lesson in co-operation

Psarades

When I first heard of PRESPA Park nature reserve, it was in the 1990’s when I was about to leave Greece and move back to London. Although I never managed to get there, the aims of the park was to protect the natural beauty and biodiversity of the park. PRESPA was not only a beautiful and vast area straddling three countries, but it was full of wildlife and then not too many visitors.

At that time Greece and FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) were arguing over the mention of the name Macedonia. To Greece, Macedonia was theirs by historic right (so went the attitude of the time.) The argument rolled on, over land area, symbols and emblems, so PRESPA Park had to wait its turn for attention. I lost touch with the young man who had told me back then of the aims and wishes of the group trying to protect the park, but I did write about it then and he was grateful.

Dalmatian pelican

I had hardly thought about it until recently when I found an old brochure of PRESPA Park and started to look it up again and admire its beauty. I had a very pleasant surprise. Not only is PRESPA Park flourishing, but it is run jointly, I said jointly, by the three countries involved: Greece, Albania and FYROM (at that time border disputes meant that FYROM stood for the (Former Republic of Yugoslavia Macedonia). The name dispute still lingers. From the Hellenic Ministry of Public Affairs this month I quote: "The issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not just a dispute over historical facts or symbols. It concerns the conduct of a UN member state, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which contravenes the fundamental principles of international law and order; specifically, respect for good neighbourly relations, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

I had thought the whole thing well over as FYROM now calls itself Macedonia. The Hellenic Ministry of Public Affairs went on to state: "The name issue arose in 1991, when the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia seceded from Yugoslavia and declared its independence under the name “Republic of Macedonia”. Historically, the term “Macedonia”, which is a Greek word, refers to the Kingdom and culture of the ancient Macedonians, who belong to the Hellenic nation and are unquestionably part of Greek historical and cultural heritage."

It's really about the name rather than territory. The basis for a full co-operation is there and I am certain that even hard bitten parliamentarians in all three nations love nature and that’s what Prespa Park is all about. So where exactly does PRESPA Park lie? It sits in the northwest of Greece at an altitude of 850 metres, near the borders with FYROM and Albania, and the nearest town is Florina (185km from Thessaloniki) and at the park’s centre is Prespa Lake. The smallest part of the lake lies in the Greek area and is known as “Mikri Prespa” (small Prespa) while the largest stretch of water “Megali Prespa” (large Prespa) is in FYROM (formerly Yugoslavia.) Yet another smaller part of the largest lake sits in Albania. Today it is a Wetland of International Importance.

Prespa Park

The lake and its surrounds, no matter which country you are in, are extremely beautiful and peaceful by all accounts. The brochure has some lovely scenes from the area and information for tourists. At that time, some quarter of a century ago, there was one asphalt road leading to Prespa. This was a side road some 31km off the main road from Florina to Kastoria. Nowadays I imagine there will be many more routes to and from.

Daseri

The wildlife in Prespa are mainly Pelicans, the Coot and Pygmy Cormorants but many more bird species besides. Prespa also boasts the yellow Iris of the marshes (Iris pseudacorus) and much more floras well. In the Greek area there are beaches and long walks and beautiful traditional houses in the local style in the villages that dot the area. Woods and mountains and (with permits), fishing on the lake await the visitor, as do icons painted in the numerous cavities in the rocks, and small churches. I’m sure that the same applies to other areas across each border, although not having been there, at this point I cannot say.

Today the wetland conservation and management is the main objective of the projects and is run by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP). From its earliest days the SPP has promoted a series of initiatives for wetland restoration and the protection of wildlife. Today the Prespa National Park Management Body (PNPMB) is formally responsible for the wetland management while the SPP, in cooperation with the PNPMB, implements a series of activities for the management and monitoring of water, vegetation and water bird fauna.

Pygmy cormorants

On World Wetlands Day, things seemed to come to a head with alas no real agreement happening just yet. According to a press release issued at the time:
“Transboundary cooperation between the three countries sharing the Prespa Lakes started 14 years ago with the establishment of the Transboundary Prespa Park – the first cross-border protected area in the Balkans. This initiative, which has been lauded by the international community as brave and innovative, has stalled in the last four years due to the refusal of the Greek state to ratify the international Agreement that it signed in 2010 together with the other two littoral countries and the EU. The future of cross border cooperation in the Transboundary Prespa Park now lies in the hands of its local stakeholders, as well as of the international community that is keenly interested in the protection of the natural environment of the wider river basin.”

An agreement is sort of in place, the enthusiasts from the very beginning have never wavered, so much so that three countries nearly, very nearly, got their act together. Prespa Park shouldn’t really be politicized at all, perhaps by naming it an “internationally borrowed area” until they sort what they finally agree on? Oh, I’m dreaming again. I think it’s time for a visit to the lovely Prespa. I’ll take my hiking boots and a camera and get some really fresh air. Go and see for yourselves.

http://www.visitgreece.gr/