AN ECOSYSTEM - BASED APPROACH MANAGEMENT OF NON-POINT SOURCES OF POLLUTION IN THE REGION OF OHRID AND THE PRESPA LAKES AN ECOSYSTEM - BASED APPROACH Oliver Avramoski Lake Ohrid Conservation Project

The future of the action: recommendations OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION The future of the action: recommendations The framework for action: timeline of activities and events framing the action Moving from planning to implementation Introduction to the Region

Macedonia

THE FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION REDUCTION OF THE PHOSPHORUS LOAD IS THE PRIORITY ACTIION In 1995 through a financial support of World Bank, the Feasibility Study for the Lake Ohrid Conservation Project was prepared Donators’ conference for protection of Lake Ohrid is held in Ohrid; more than 45 million DEM donated for drinking water and wastewater projects in Albania and Macedonia Albania and Macedonia sign the Memorandum of Understanding for LOCP and establish the Lake Ohrid Management Board Watershed management committees were established in Albania and Macedonia to develop an action plant for the whole watershed. Through a competitive grant program a series of demonstration projects were selected. In 1998 Albania and Macedonia sign the grant agreement for LOCP; the project officially launched in December 1998 in Albania and in March 1999, in Macedonia In 2000: Feasibility Study for Environmental Protection of Lake Prespa prepared by the German consultant MVV and financial support of KfW, Germany Eeutrophication is one of the main risks for Lake Ohrid. Among the nutrients, phosphorus is the limiting factor for algae growth and thus for the eutrophication. The loading of dissolved phosphorous in 1995 was estimated to be 150 tons per year, and this would need to be reduced to 50 tons per year to keep the mean concentration of phosphorous below 7mg m-3.

Transboundary Prespa Park q  Inexistent or inappropriate water management; q  Large-scale forest destruction and erosion; q  Overgrazing; q Over-exploitation of medicinal plants, fishes and other natural resources; q  Ecologically unsound irrigation practices; q   Water and soil contamination from uncontrolled use of pesticides, raw sewage q  Deposits and lake siltation; q  Uncontrolled urban and other forms of development; q   Pressure from increasing and uncontrolled tourism development.

Lake Ohrid Conservation Project: ALB-MKD (NOT GR!); GEF founded Non-point sources of pollution: reconcile different visions Lake Ohrid Conservation Project: ALB-MKD (NOT GR!); GEF founded Transboundary Prespa Park: ALB-MKD-GR; GTZ supported Local Environmental Action Plans : ALB-MKD; financed & coordinated by ISC, US

Non-point sources of pollution: emerging issues Linking biodiversity, landscape conservation and agricultural practices

Non-point sources of pollution: emerging issues Linking biodiversity, landscape conservation and control of the erosion

Non-point sources of pollution: emerging issues