Lake Ohrid

The evidence based campaign on Protecting Lake Ohrid

A project implemented by DMO ALBANIA, in the framework of the call for proposals: “Financial Support to Third Parties in the framework of the EU-funded project: ENV.Net Factoring the Environmental Portfolio for WB and Turkey in The EU Policy Agenda, of Co-Plan, Institute for Habitat Development The aim of this project was to identify the actual polluters of Lake Ohrid, Albanian part, listed as UNESCO heritage since 5th July 2019. The project lasted 8 months in 2019. The project concluded in a round table with all stakeholders around Lake Ohrid to make public all the findings of investigative reports regarding the polluters and discussing the ways how to face this problem…

The steps of the project:

Identifying polluters of Lake Ohrid just after it was joined in UNESCO in 5 July 2019. An environment expert was contracted in Pogradec area to investigate all the environmental problems in Lake Ohrid region, Albanian side. The issues of illegal fishing by people in the area, mineral wastes which were leaking from a very close mine industry to the lake Lake Ohrid region, the pollution of rivers in the villages which were also ending in the lake, and illegal construction in the protected area were among the problems identified by the expert

3 investigative reports were prepared:

See the page of the project https://lakeohrid.blogspot.com

1. The Mine Activity in the protected area of Lake Ohrid

2. Polluters of Lake Ohrid

3. Potential danger in the cultural heritage site of UNESCO

Lobbying to policymakers

The next step was to address these problems to State institutions. We held several meetings in Ministries of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Tourism And Environment. We handed over these documents to all these ministries and to Municipality of Pogradec

Raising awareness to stakeholders

A round table with all stakeholders and media were held in the end of project with the presence of more than 30 people from different institutions, civil society to present these documents and to discus with them about the ways of solving the problems

More about this project

https://lakeohrid.blogspot.com/2020/05/investigative-report-polluters-of-lake.html</p>