Protecting Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia

On the shores of one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, you will find a confluence that defines the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: cobblestoned paths lined with ornate churches lead to lakeside beaches and cafes that fill with sunbathers each summer. Legend has it that at one point, Ohrid , the largest town on the eponymous lake that forms Macedonia’s southwest border with Albania, was home to 365 churches: one for every day of the year. While the many churches and monasteries that dot the lakeshore boast some of the best examples of Macedonian Orthodox iconography—and the seat of the religion has rested here since 2005—Ohrid and the surrounding region have plenty to offer believers and non-believers alike. For adventure enthusiasts, the town sits between three of Macedonia’s national parks where one can find great hiking, biking, rock climbing and paragliding. For the oenophiles, Ohrid is an easy day trip to many of the 84 wineries that make up Macedonia’s up-and-co

Biodiversity is the foundation of life. This was the message delivered this year on International Day for Biological Diversity, marked around the world every 22 May. The theme for this year was “Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods”. "Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it supports are the foundations for life on Earth and the livelihoods and well-being of people everywhere", United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on the International Day for Biological Diversity. “On this International Day for Biodiversity, I urge all Governments and stakeholders to preserve and sustainably manage the variety of life on Earth for the benefit of current and future generations,” he said. This year’s campaign draws attention to the critical role played by biodiversity in underpinning people’s livelihoods and sustainable development in all economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. The central message being that by

A small awarding ceremony was organized at the Palace of Culture, in Pogradec on 10 May 2016, to announce 10 winners of #OurLakeOhrid Social Media Photo Competition. Ten winners are: Adnan Beci; Teodora Krasimirova Koleva; Betim Berisha; Elena Nikolovska; Ardian Fezollari; Slavica Panova; Marijana Pipe Pipileva; Stefanija Vidovski; Nikola Naumoski; Marko Blazevski The social media competition had a wide coverage with participants mainly from Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and other countries, people who visited Lake Ohrid and shared their memories, stories emotions. Three of winners made their journey to attend the ceremony in Pogradec. Organizers used this opportunity to share the news, and the location of Palace of Culture at the heart of the city of Pogradec was chosen to give more visibility to the project. The Photo &Story Contest on Lake Ohrid, was launched on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lakeohrid/ and on Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LakeOhridHeri

The Fourth Management Planning Workshop, in the framework of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” will take place in Tushemisht, Albania, on 12 and 13 May 2016. The workshop will be an opportunity to present the progress to date on the development of the management planning document required for the preparation of the extension file to the World Heritage property “ Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region ” (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) to the Albanian part of the Lake Ohrid. Through extensive group work, the workshop will have a thematic focus on a) the preparation of the Master Plan for the Municipality of Pogradec, b) the Lin Peninsula, c) the Drilon Springs, d) the Memelisht site and its surroundings, and e) the ecological and physical environment of Lake Ohrid region. This management planning workshop series is part of the project “Towards strengthened governance of

Lake Ohrid Pogradec, Albania The training course “Promoting nature, culture and World Heritage in the Lake Ohrid region” in the framework of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” takes place in Pogradec and Tushemisht, Albania, on 10 and 11 May 2016. The training course aims to provide participants with the necessary tools and approaches available for the promotion and interpretation of assets of collective importance to humankind, whilst increasing appreciation of shared heritage values among existing and new audiences in a way that enhances the achievement of the shared management objectives for the heritage place. The training will also contribute indirectly to progress in the management planning process in view of the proposed Albanian extension to the World Heritage property “Natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid region” (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) with ideas that

10 Winners of #OurLakeOhrid Social Media Contest announced.  The Photo Contest was organized in the framework of the Project:Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region, founded by European Union and Albanian Government and is implementing by UNESCO. The aim of this project is to improve transboundary cooperation and management effectiveness for the protection of the natural and cultural heritage in the Lake Ohrid region. #OurLakeOhrid Photo & Story Contest around the Lake Ohrid region and its heritage takes place on Instagram   and the Lake Ohrid Heritage Facebook page was open from 7 March to 7 April 2016. About 450 photos were posted on Facebook and Instagram. A jury from EU, UNESCO, IUCN, ICOMOS, selected 10 winning photos based on the terms and condition published in the page dedicated to this Photo Contest. http://whc.unesco.org/en/ourlakeohrid-photo-contest/ We are pleased to announce

Albania will host for the 4th year in a row, The Environment film Festival, which will take place from 22 May -5 June 2016. Ecology, culture, economy, migrations, wars and social issues, among many others, are the essence of why this festival is created by aiming to share and exchange common and future concerns. The Festival is organized in 8 locations: Shkodra, Tirana, Vlora, Skrapar, Permet, Erseke, Gjirokaster and Valbona. More than 70 movies were received from more than 40 countries. The competition will focus on these categories: Long Movies, (Movies of more than 20 min), Short Movies, (less than 20 min); EFTA lab; EFTA Young Talents. The detailed Programme about movies, the Jury and other information about the Festival is now published. ( https://effalbania.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/effa-catalog-en1.pdf ) EFFA is organized by the Albanian Ministry of Environment and the Delegation of the European Union to Albania , in collaboration with Embassies and NGOs’ partners in t

"Promoting nature, culture and World Heritage in the Lake Ohrid region" training, which is part of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” will take place on 10- 11 May 2016 in Pogradec and Tushemisht, Albania. Tushemisht Albania In line with the World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy, the training course aims to provide participants with the necessary tools and people-centred approaches available for the promotion and interpretation of assets of collective importance to humankind, whilst increasing appreciation of shared heritage values. The training will also build awareness and contribute progress to the management planning process for the Albanian extension to the World Heritage property "Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region" (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). The training course will offer conceptual background, case studies and group