Conservation and conflict resolution in transboundary protected areas: prespa as an european case-study

Abstract

Transboundary protected areas have a primary role of conserving bio-diversity and natural ecological processes protected areas in sensitive areas. However in addition to serving the nature conservation, transboundary protected areas are widely held to offer a major contribution to managing and resolving political divisions via establishing links and building trust and co-operation between individuals and communities in addressing common social and economic needs. Lake Prespa and the Desaret lake region provide an opportunity both to test and apply these ideas. The common aims and objectives for the area should be eventually articulated in a management plan, which covers not just species and ecosystem conservation, but also socio-economic objectives and mutually supportive co-existence of nations and minorities. The main players in this process will be ‘epistemic communities’ - conservation managers, academic researchers, local community representatives - all with appropriate institutional links at national and international level. Progress has already begun: the academic communities in Albania, Greece and Macedonia are already working towards this goal through a first Albano-Greko-Macedonian cross-boundary consensus as a basis for lasting co-operation between local peoples and their governments in the area. Prespa and the Desaret natural system are to take its place within an European Ecological Network as one of the key ‘ecological bricks’ of our common European Heritage.