Greece, Albania, and Macedonia Wetlands

Organization: Préspa Center for Man and Nature
Project Leader: Myrsini Malakou and Giorgios Catsadorakis
Geographic Area: Wetlands of Préspa adjoining borders of Greece, Albania, and Macedonia
Link: http://www.goldmanprize.org/ recipients/recipients.html

Straddling Greece, Albania, and Macedonia, the Prespa wetlands and lakes sustain over 250 species of birds and the world's largest pelican breeding grounds. The state ditched the region's traditional subsistence economy in the 1960s and built a large irrigation network that was intended to modernize farms. This diversion annihilated a good part of the wetlands. In 1974, without consulting the locals, Greece gave the region "national park" status, banned pelican-hunting and prohibited the burning of reeds (which residents did in order to increase crop yields). The 25,600 residents fumed under these new restrictions and kept up other damaging practices. Moreover, the new rules could have very little impact as long as they did not also apply to the Macedonian and Albanian areas.

Biologists Myrsini Malakou and Giorgios Catsadorakis responded to this conflict by establishing the community-based Prespa Center for Man and Nature. They helped residents learn profitable organic methods of bean farming, and advocated cross-border cooperation in managing the land. Communities now had a vision of a protected area they could all get behind.

In large part thanks to the efforts of the Prespa Center, the Prime Ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Greece formally agreed to establish the first transboundary protected area in the Balkans in 2000. Each country appointed state, local, and NGO representatives with equal voting power to a council. A trilateral secretariat came up with a yearly work plan, and started resolving day-to-day issues.

After years of mismanagement, neglect, and conflict, the three governments are moving towards de-balkanized wetlands management. Locals have more say, and more economic opportunity. However, a conception of transboundary communication and a sense of local ownership are still trickling forth tentatively. These ideas need to flow far more vigorously before lasting change can occur.