Project Milestone- The Albanian National Council of Restoration approves the boundaries of the potential World Heritage property

The National Council of Restoration under the Albanian Ministry of Culture through a decision on 25 May 2016 approved the proposal for delineation of the boundary of the potential extension of the transboundary World Heritage property and its buffer zone, in the framework of the project "Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region." The National Council of Restoration decided to: Approve the proposal of the boundary of the potential transboundary World Heritage property in the framework of the Lake Ohrid project, based on the results of the joint field mission: ICOMOS, IUCN, ICM, NAPA, RAPA, Municipality of Pogradec and Institute of Archaeology; Approve the option of the boundary that includes: the waterline of the Lake Ohrid, cultural features of the landscape of the Lin Peninsula and Lin Village, areas critical to the scenic integrity of the Lake Ohrid (Drilon, coastal landscapes to the North of Lin), pile dwelling areas. This is a great news for the work to be done in preparation of a potential nomination file to extend the World Heritage property "Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region" to the Albanian side.

Questionnaire on Lake Ohrid

What comes to one’s mind when Lake Ohrid is mention? Koran fish, lakeside, boats, swimming, nature? Maybe all of that!

A trial questionnaire was implemented in the Albanian part of Lake Ohrid Region (LOR) in the framework of the project, in order  to gain an understanding of people’s views on the region. The questionnaire, designed by ICCROM, an advisory body to UNESCO, gathered a preliminary set of data through interviewing people living and working in, or visiting, the area. 

The journalist talking to a local in Hudenisht

It was implemented by an Albanian journalist, Mr Genci Angjellari, contracted by IUCN, for an intense five-day campaign. Some 116 people—78 locals and 38 visitors—were interviewed in various locations along the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid including the city of Pogradec and the villages of Lin, Tushemisht, Hudenisht, Verdove, Starove and Drilon.

The questionnaire began by asking questions on the values and attributes of LOR today, gaining an understanding of the public’s current relationship and connections with their heritage, and, indirectly, the level of satisfaction with the current situation. Later sections, on tourism and visitor experience, aimed to gain insight into the impact of tourism on the intangible values and traditional lifestyles in LOR.

Activities associated with LOR

Initial results revealed a local population that has travelled extensively in the lake area and enjoyed many of its heritage places and experiences. Some ten percent of local residents benefit in one way or another from business and employment opportunities connected with tourism. Visitors to LOR seem to be largely domestic and, together with local residents, they identified a range of positive experiences related to the cultural and natural landscape. Future services for visitors would need to be developed in a way that provides both traditional hospitality, both in hotels and through the promotion of more locally based initiatives, such as home stays.

Culinary and agriculture in LOR 

The data gathered were processed by the ICCROM team and preliminary findings were shared at the May Promoting Heritage workshop, which equipped participants with genuine knowledge of the communities living in or visiting the area and their views about LOR. The results of this modest campaign demonstrate the importance of more substantial public consultation in the future and for extension to the Macedonian side of the lake, to inform decision making for managing LOR’s heritage and promoting it as a tourism destination.