FYR of Macedonia designates second Ramsar site

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has designated Dojran Lake (Dojransko Ezero) (2,696 hectares, 41°13'N 022°45'E), a lake that it shares with Greece, as its second Wetland of International Importance, joining the Macedonian part of Lake Prespa in the southwest, designated in 1995 and shared with Greece and Albania in the Transboundary Prespa Wetland Park. The Dojran site is a shallow eutrophic lake with no natural outlets and its surrounding swamp and thermal spring, located in the southeast of the country along the border with Greece. The local community employs a unique and ancient fish hunting practice, with its own implements and traditions using birds and reed traps, first described by Herodotus in the 5th century B.C. and thought now to be practiced only here. The lake hosts several endemic species and subspecies of fish as well as 11 endemic invertebrates and many protected bird species. More than 100 individuals of Pelecanus crispus are supported every year in the period from November till March. A decreasing water level from over-abstraction is perceived as a potential threat.