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37661 GEF Global Action onWater Public Disclosure Authorized MANAGING LAKE OHRID IN TIMES OF CONFLICT

Lake Ohrid, which borders on Albania and the the governments and people of Albania and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is an Macedonia began the Lake Ohrid Conservation ancient lake, formed by tectonic forces millions of Project to jointly manage the Lake Ohrid Basin. years ago. Because of its age and isolation by sur- The project promotes cost-effective solutions rounding hills and mountains, a unique collection concerning transboundary natural resources of plants and animals has evolved in Lake Ohrid, management and pollution issues, along with making it a site of international significance. Ten preventing and minimizing future pollution. Public Disclosure Authorized of the 17 identified fish species of the Lake are endemic, as are many of the Lake’s snails, worms, RESULTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS and sponges. The lakeshore reed beds and wet- Now in its final stages of implementation, the lands provide critical habitat for hundreds of Lake Ohrid Conservation Project has been thousands of wintering water birds, including remarkably successful in stimulating and facilitat- rare and threatened species such as the ing transboundary communication, overcoming Dalmatian pelican, ferruginous duck, spotted ethnic and political tensions in the border regions eagle, and imperial eagle. of the countries during the past few years. Water quality and biological monitoring programs have In 1980, UNESCO recognized the Lake’s local, been initiated in both Albania and Macedonia. regional, and international significance, declaring At the end of 2002, a comprehensive “State of Lake Ohrid as a “site of cultural and natural the Environment Report,” the first to combine Public Disclosure Authorized values of the global patrimony.” Macedonian and Albanian data in a single analy- sis, was released. Watershed management Today, a variety of forces threaten the Lake's committees have succeeded in creating compre- ecosystem and the services it provides. Since the hensive multi-stakeholder forums and in initiating end of World War II, there has been a rapid pilot projects that will help to develop a strategic increase in the number of people living in the action plan for the Lake. Lake Ohrid Day (June Lake’s watershed. This population growth and 21) and other events sponsored through a net- related development have impacted the Lake in work of environmental nongovernmental organi- many ways: intense fishing pressures, natural zations are increasing public awareness. habitat destruction, and the introduction of pol- lutants, especially phosphorus, into Lake waters. The Lake Ohrid Management Board adopted the Eutrophication threatens the character of the Lake Ohrid Watershed Action Plan on October 11, Lake, its unique biodiversity, and the crystal-clear 2003. The Action Plan, which draws heavily on the Public Disclosure Authorized water that is its major tourist attraction. findings and recommendations of the “State of the Environment Report,” stresses partnerships, a THE PROJECT watershed approach that integrates environmental In 1998, with support from the Global and economic goals for the watershed, pollution Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank, prevention, and a collaborative approach to man- JP water_ins11.qxd 1/26/06 5:39 PM Page 2

agement. This is a major milestone in the cross- The Lake Ohrid project is the first project of its border cooperation because the countries are kind in Central and Eastern Europe supported by now in agreement about the actions that they the GEF. The European Union and the World need to take at the watershed level for preserving Bank have jointly recognized the project as a suc- the oligotrophic status of the Lake. cessful experience of bilateral management of cross-border resources in Southeast Europe and On June 17, 2004, in Skopje, the Prime Ministers the Mediterranean. In addition, the “Athens of Macedonia and Albania signed the trans- Declaration” (which came out of an international boundary treaty titled “Agreement for the conference on water issues in the Southeastern Protection and Sustainable Development of Lake Europe and Mediterranean regions) recom- Ohrid and Its Watershed,” which was brokered mended that all future programs in the region by the project. The treaty is currently awaiting draw from its experiences and lessons learned. ratification by the parliaments in both countries. The signing of this treaty demonstrates that the THE FUTURE OF THE PROJECT principal goals of the Lake Ohrid Conservation The success of the Lake Ohrid Conservation Project—to build cross-border trust and establish Project, a groundbreaking cooperative effort, is the institutional arrangements necessary for critical to any future environmental protection long-term cooperation and joint management for the Lake. Follow-up activities are being of the Lake—have been achieved. The new planned to advance that work, including the fol- transboundary agreement calls for the creation lowing: providing technical assistance to the of an International Lake Ohrid Watershed new Secretariat that will be established under Committee that will coordinate and direct man- the bilateral treaty; empowering the Secretariat agement activities on the Lake and in the water- to implement the priority environmental mitiga- shed. The Committee has tremendous potential tion investments, as determined in the Strategic for soliciting and coordinating donor invest- Action Plan (reducing nonpoint source pollution, ments that will target the most critical needs in critical habitat protection, fishery management); the watershed, for establishing and enforcing and expanding the legal and institutional capac- joint regulations, and for resolving difficult ity for joint decisionmaking among the riparian issues that require a joint approach, such as the nations in the Drin/Buna River basin (Greece, current fisheries management crisis. Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro).

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Global Environment Facility 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 USA Tel: 202-473-0508 Fax: 202-522-3240

www.theGEF.org January 2006