Lake Mikri Prespa

Lake Mikri Prespa. 21/08/75; Florina; 5,078 ha; 40°46'N 021°05'E. Added to the Montreux Record, 4 July 1990, removed from the Record, 18 May 1999. Special Protection Area EC Directive; National Park, Site of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Two freshwater lakes, shared by Greece, Albania and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, occupying an enclosed mountain basin fed by seasonal streams. Vegetation consists of a rich aquatic flora of extensive reedbeds and wet meadows. Numerous fish species are present, including endemic species. A particularly important area for breeding, staging and wintering birds. Nesting species include pelicans, Pelecanus crispus (200 pairs); P. onocrotalus (70 pairs); and Phalacrocorax pygmeus (100 pairs), all globally threatened. Human activities include fishing, irrigation, tourism, livestock grazing, and conservation education. A field station and an information center are available. The site was placed on the Montreux Record in 1990 due to changes in ecological character caused by past drainage works, recent overgrazing, and loss of fish production. The Society for the Protection of Prespa was one of the winners of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award in 1999. Ramsar site no. 60. Most recent RIS information: 1998.

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