Fourth Annual Meeting of Protected Area Managers from the Prespa Region

On March 7, 2024, the fourth annual meeting of managers for protected areas from the cross-border region of Prespa was held on the premises of the Galicica National Park visitor center in Stenje. The meeting was attended by representatives from Public institution Galicica NP (PIGNP), Public institution Pelister NP (PIPNP), the Municipality of Resen, the Regional Agency for Protected Areas – Korce (RAPA –Korce), and PONT. NECCA representatives from Greece did not attend due to another pre-arranged engagement. In the first session of the meeting, all representatives from each PA had the opportunity to present the activities implemented in 2023, such as the monitoring of biological diversity, environmental education, activities to improve the tourist offer in protected areas, and cooperation with the environmental sector and other institutions. Planned activities for 2024 were also briefly presented.

In the second part of the meeting, the representatives from the protected areas came up with their specific proposal for activities that should be implemented at a cross-border level in 2024. The following six activities were determined, which the managers committed to implement jointly:

1. Monitoring of forest bats on linear transect by using the method of echolocation. PIGNP will share their experience with PIPNP and RAPA Korce. New linear transects will be established in Pelister NP and Prespa NP – Albania. This activity will be carried out in May.
2. Presentation of map of habitats in Prespa NP – Albania. The national experts have created a map of habitats for parts of the Prespa region. At the presentation that will take place in Prespa – Albania, RAPA – Korcе will invite representatives from other protected areas from the cross-border region of Prespa.
3. Monitoring of habitats. In the past period, PIGNP employees have acquired skills in drone recording of larger areas and the creation of orthophoto maps. It provides a good opportunity to use it for long-term monitoring of important habitats. This activity will be implemented for the first time in all protected areas of the cross-border region of Prespa:

• In  Galicica NP, endemic forests with Grecian juniper, beech-fir forests and high mountain pastures will be recorded
• Testing plots will be established and recorded in Pelister NP for monitoring  of the forests with Macedonian pine and stone rivers (morenas)
• In Prespa Albania NP, testing plots will be established and recorded for monitoring of forests with Grecian juniper.
• In the Ezerani Nature Park, testing plots for monitoring of alder forests will be established and recorded.

4. The municipality of Resen offers its knowledge and capacities in the monitoring station for Lake Prespa in Stenje for testing the quality of water in the springs in Pelister NP.
5. PIGNP and the Municipality of Resen will be partners in the joint application of the IPA III call for applicants.
6. Additional meetings by PIPNP AND RAPA – Korce to deepen cooperation.

All stakeholders consider such annual meetings as useful and will strive to continue this established practice in the future. The municipality of Resen expressed its willingness to host the next annual meeting.

By Dejan Dimidzievski of PIGNP