Protecting Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia

Four UNESCO cities in Balkans- Dubrovnik, Kotor, Ohrid and Mostar  -come together to better protect these world heritages and to raise awareness on the importance of the UNESCO's status The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, the Mayor of Kotor, Vladimir Jokić, the Mayor of Ohrid, Jovan Stojanoski and, on behalf of the Mayor of Mostar Ljubo Bešlić, the Chief Advisor of the City of Mostar Rada Komadin attended the signing of a Memorandum of Friendship between Dubrovnik, Kotor, Mostar and Ohrid, all UNESCO protected cities.  The signing ceremony was held in the premises of the Montenegrin Maritime Museum, Kotor. By adopting the Memorandum of Friendship, these cities have confirmed their intention of strengthening and spreading friendship through mutual co-operation in all areas of common interest and intend to cooperate permanently on the protection and promotion of their natural and cultural heritage by exchanging experiences and nurturing awareness of the importance of U

Interview with Venera Domi, former Ambassador/Permanent Delegate of Albania to UNESCO Mrs Domi. The Nomination Dossier of the Lake Ohrid region on the Albanian side is already at The UNESCO World Heritage Centre. What is the future of the process? In the evening of 31 January 2018, I received the electronic version of the Nomination File of the Albanian part of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Lake Ohrid Region. The Nomination File, in three printed copies and one electronic version was officially submitted, within the official deadline, to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The Permanent Delegation of Albania to UNESCO will continue the dialogue with the World Heritage Centre and its Advisory Bodies (IUCN, ICOMOS and ICCROM) to facilitate the evaluation process of our Nomination File. Given that this Nomination File is part of the Upstream Process, and has been prepared in close cooperation and with the assistance of the three UNESCO’s Advisory Bodies, I predict a relativel

Z. Nikola. Së pari duam t’ju urojmë për fotot e mrekullueshme që ju keni postuar në konkursin tonë të fotografisë #OurLakeOhrid. 6 nga 50 fotot fituese janë me autorësinë tuaj. Janë shumë unike pasi përfaqësojnë një pjesë jo shumë të dukshme të Liqenit për fotografët e tjerë, pikërisht botën nënujore të Liqenit të Ohrit. Çfarë mund të na thoni rreth kësaj eksperience?  Që në moshë të vogël, isha në kontakt me botën nënujore pasi im atë ishte zhytës. Shpesh isha pjesë e udhëtimeve të tij nënujore me miqtë dhe kolegët, dhe këto udhëtime shënuan hapat e mi të parë drejt eksplorimit nënujor. Tashmë e praktikoj këtë sport prej 16 vitesh, që nga zhytja ime e parë në Liqenin e Ohrit. Pas diplomimit në arkeologji, unë kombinoj dy profesionet e mia në një, pikërisht në arkeologjinë nënujore. Kryesisht kërkimet e mia fokusohen në zonat arkeologjike nënujore ekzistuese, por gjithashtu eksploroj dhe zona të tjera të pazuluara dhe shpella nënujore, duke zbuluar florën dhe faunën. Gjatë sesione

Mr. Shalsi, this winter you climbed the peak ‘Pllaja a Pusit’, which belongs to Mali i Thatë around the Pogradec area. What are the opportunities for tourism in Pogradec with these new attractions? Pogradec is more known for lake tourism, especially during the summer, but it hides great oppportunities for adventurous tourism, as well as for historical and cultural tourism. Mali i Thatë, is like a pearl which stands proudly by the lake as a dividing station between Lake Prespa and Ohrid. We only knew some famous touristic places such as Lin Mosaic, but there are other hidden gems, such as the Ice lakes of Lukova, Goliku Bridge, Guri i Kamjes, which we are trying to promote lately. I think probably this summer you will see how the youth of Pogradec will promote some very interesting itineraries around Pogradec, which are tending to enrich the touristic products and expand the touristic season in the Pogradec area.   Mr. Shalsi, the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid will potentially

Endri is a fisherman who lives in Pogradec. Every day he gets up in the early morning to go fishing, which is the only job he does to feed his family. Endri is a father of three kids: a girl and two twin boys. Together with his wife, they are five in their family and Endri is the only person working. Endri says that it is hard to find another job in the Pogradec area, but with fishing they can live somehow. “Unfortunately this is a seasonal job. There are some strict regulations regarding the legal time to fish throughout one year, and we respect these rules”, he says. These restrictions have to do with some regulations during the specific times of the year. For each species, especially for Koran, Belushk and Krap, there are limits related to the fishing zone, the time of year, the size of the fish, and the type of fishing licence one can have”. Endri, together with 40 other licensed fishermen in the Pogradec area, work only during the allowed time for fishing. Other months they g