Protecting Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia

Conservation and preservation of the developed heritage area in Pogradec is essential for all the local authorities on the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid. In this framework the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is proposing the development of a manual with guidelines for maintenance and rehabilitation of traditionally built heritage in the Albanian part of the region. The manual will address conservation problems and upgrade the needs of the heritage developed on the Albanian side of the lake, while retaining and sustaining its morphology and construction characteristics and materials. The guidelines will act as a reference tool for all those responsible for the preservation and conservation of the developed heritage of the Pogradec area, including local architects, engineers and craftsmen. Moreover, it will also be useful for state institutions and the local administrations. The ICOMOS mission in the area, undertaken in June 2015, highlighted the need for ratio

The joint goal of partners that gathered around the project "Towards Strengthened Governance of the Shared Transboundary Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Lake Ohrid region" is to support the efforts of local and national authorities to safeguard unique cultural and natural heritage of the Lake Ohrid Region. One of the major challenges ahead is the improvement of solid waste management in this area. On the Albanian side of the Lake, the solid waste management has been ranked as the priority of the National Plan and National Strategy on Waste Management for the period 2010-2025. In order to make the first steps addressing this issue, the team has set up a governance structure, identifying the representatives of the consortium, local government, and other key local stakeholders. In June 2016, IUCN supported the formation of a consortium gathering the Rural Development and the National Centre for Environment from Tirana and Tourism and Sustainable Development from Pog

Paragliding has a certain tradition in Macedonia. Thanks to its specific terrain configuration, easy accessibility to the mountains,  and weather conditions that allow flying almost all year around, Macedonia has become a place of pilgrimage for paragliding pilots around the globe. It has grown rapidly as a sport as well as a tourist attraction enabling almost everyone to get that amazing feeling of flying like a bird.  The center of the ‘party’ is Krushevo, the highest town in the country at 1,350m above sea level. It rises above Pelagonia, the biggest valley in Macedonia. That is the place with perfect conditions for flying on most days of the year as well as for landing in the valleys around. Both professionals and beginners just love to fly from here.  Different international flying competitions are held here every year, so most of the time you will find pilots from all around the globe hanging out and flying high…. All year around, Krushevo town hosts many parag

Lake Ohrid region is home to nearly 160 000 people, with more than 52 000 residing in Albania. Every year, approxi mately 300 000 visitors explore the region's natural and cultural heritage. While in Macedonian side of the lake, summer tourism rhymes easily with culture tourism , this is not happening in Albanian side of the lake.  "The main threat in wetlands like the Lake Ohrid region is the fact that it is exclusively used as a sunny weekend, a few hours destination, with extremely low or no income for the local people",- says Alois Lang, Austrian expert working with local authorities in Pogradec region for sustainable tourism development.  The challenge for local and international experts who are working closely on this area, is to find alternative touristic products and interests for the general public, but also for different kinds of audiences, says Christophe Graz, heritage consultant ICOMOS, who is  also working with Albanian experts to explore the tourism