Integrated Management of the Transboundary Prespa Lake Basin: Experiences, Achievements and Challenges

Dimitrija Sekovski, UNDP Project Manager Why Prespa?

 One of the world’s ancient lakes  Globally recognized natural values and biodiversity richness  Unique hydrological and ecological features  Transboundary lake basin  Naturally vulnerable system sensitive to water use, precipitation and human impacts

854.00 853.00 852.00 851.00 850.00 849.00 848.00 847.00 846.00 845.00 844.00 843.00 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010  One of the world’s ancient lakes  Globally recognized natural values and biodiversity richness  Unique hydrological and ecological features  Transboundary lake basin  Naturally vulnerable system sensitive to water use, precipitation and human impacts

Lake Prespa – a unique ecological and hydrological system of global significance facing with serious environmental challenges

Underlying causes/pressures:  Inappropriate land- and water use management  Pollution from pesticides, fertilizers, industrial compounds  Inappropriate management practices (waste, wastewaters, fisheries, forest…)  Inappropriate protected areas management and preservation of biological resources  Loss of important landscape elements / biogeochemical barriers  Unilateral approach to managing the shared water and other resources

Continued nutrient and pollutant loads originating from the agricultural runoff, basin’s erosion processes, wastewaters and solid waste Overview of Transboundary Cooperation

 Trilateral Declaration – signed 02 Feb 2000  Informal Trilateral Prespa Park Coordination Committee  Strategic Action Plan adopted in 2003  Resource mobilization efforts  National Governments and municipalities supported by donors: UNDP, SDC, GEF, KfW, GTZ  Launch of UNDP supported Integrated Ecosystem Management Programme in 2004  International Agreement on Prespa signed on 02 Feb 2010  Trilateral Declaration – signed 02 Feb 2000  Informal Trilateral Prespa Park Coordination Committee  Strategic Action Plan adopted in 2003  Resource mobilization efforts  National Governments and municipalities supported by donors: UNDP, SDC, GEF, KfW, GTZ  Launch of UNDP supported Integrated Ecosystem Management Programme in 2004  International Agreement on Prespa signed on 02 Feb 2010

Integrated Ecosystem Management in Transboundary Context

Building overall management capacity:

 To help conserve globally significant biological diversity and restore important landscape elements  To strengthen transboundary cooperation  To reduce loads of nutrients and pollutants to the lake  To increase the overall resilience of the lake ecosystem to the human impacts and climate conditions  To help people with long-term economic and social development Better policies and regulations for integrated land and water management

 Mainstreaming ecosystem management priorities into sectoral legal & regulatory instruments, policies, plans, strategies

Transboundary: Strategic Action Programme for the Prespa Lakes Basin Species and Habitats Conservation Action Plans Transboundary Fish and Fisheries Management Plan for the Prespa Lakes Basin Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy and Action Plan Better policies and regulations for integrated land and water management

National: Prespa Lake Watershed Management Plan Management Plan for ‘Ezerani’ Nature Park Management Plan for ‘Prespa Lake’ Monument of Nature Municipal Waste Management Plan

 Integrated pollution prevention and control system Transboundary governance

Transboundary institutions: International Agreement, Prespa Park Management Com- mittee, Monitoring and Conservation Working Group, Protocol of Cooperation, strategic documents, design and pilot implementation of transboundary monitoring system Modifying resource management practices

Reducing environmental impacts of agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation water, agricultural waste, support to agricultural associations) Modifying resource management practices

Reducing environmental impacts of agriculture  Agro-ecological practices and GAP in apple farming  Groundwater investigations  Proposal on basin-scale optimal irrigation system Modifying resource management practices

Ecosystem oriented forest management (management plans, forest regeneration)

Waste Management Systems (household, organic and hazard- ous waste) Restoration projects and protected areas management

 River restoration efforts – Golema Reka  Strengthening the operation of ‘Ezerani’ protected area Wetland restoration

 Restoration of the river delta of Golema Reka (flood control, retention and filtering of polluted water)  Use of wetlands for advanced wastewater treatment (nutrient removal)

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6 10 15 Monitoring System

 Monitoring station in Stenje Expected results

 Considerable stress reduction and ecological improvements  Benefits for local communities and key sectors (tourism, agriculture, fisheries, health protection, water supply)  National/regional model for IWM  Building sustainable capacities (including financing mechanisms)  Transboundary effects