ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESPA PARK

The transboundary Prespa park is covering on Albanian site the zone of the protected area, i.e. the Prespa National park. This ecosystem, as entire body shared in between Albania, FYR of Macedonia and Greece, is distinguished by a very diverse nature and culture as well, and the current project is striving to contribute towards enrichment of the following assets: the landscape attractions and the general levels including the geological formations, water resources and at the highest rate including the vegetation richness; the lakes and rivers as wetland that are playing specific functions like: they are serving as reservoirs of water widely used as drinking water and for the irrigation purposes, biomasses, fishery, etc.; the rare habitats created at the lake sides (red composition, wet meadows, etc.); the rich fauna generally, and particularly the endemic and sub-endemic species that are rare at a national and international level; the high density of some specific water birds (Dalmatian pelican, churley pelican, pigmy cormorant, gray, etc.); the traditional houses that in many cases are preserved saving specific architectonic values; traditional local practices that still are present there (like traditional fishing methods and food conserving, culinary, dances, music, agricultural practices, livestock breeding); the local races of animals breaded still there and cultivated plants, traditional plants (mountain tea); in the Prespa area around the lakes are present famous Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments. Based on the fact that currently the measures for the protection, administration, rational use and sustainable management of the natural resources are still far from being satisfactory in order to fulfill the criteria including biological, economical and socials - the identification and assessment of the environmental indicators and sustainable development will serve as a tool for the sustainable development.