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TRL Level
SRL Level
A joint water monitoring scheme in the Prespa basin, shared by Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania, will harmonize methodologies and enhance cross-border cooperation, leading to better water quality assessments and management of shared resources.
Climate-Related Hazards Addressed:
- Water quality and water management
Specific Problems Solved:
- Establishes a common methodology for water monitoring across the Prespa basin shared by Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania.
- Addresses knowledge gaps and incompatibility of transboundary water monitoring results, leading to more comprehensive and effective water management.
- Creates a framework for ongoing collaboration and information sharing among water experts in the three countries, ensuring sustainable and coordinated management of the Prespa basin’s water resources.
See more information about this level and the TRL and SRL levels.
All three countries (GR, NMK, AL) undertake, to a certain degree, water monitoring activities at the Prespa basin, however applying different methodologies and protocols. In certain cases, these are project-based. Furthermore, the results are not shared, nor harmonized in any way, between the three countries. The pressures from each side of the Prespa basin remain largely unknown. Asa result, there is a growing need for cross-border cooperation of water experts.
Greece, as part of the EU, implements the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) and operates a WFD-compliant national monitoring programme for surface water bodies and groundwater. In the case of transboundary water bodies/river basins, the WFD calls for cooperation between neighboring countries.
The design of a joint water monitoring scheme will enhance the production, harmonization and interpretation of monitoring results and thus lead to more robust river basin management plans for the shared water bodies.
The process (Prespa Water Forum) was initiated and facilitated by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), and supported by the Prespa-Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT). In the above framework, four workshops took place between 2018 – 2021, with the participation of The Goulandris Natural History Museum-Greek Biotope-Wetland Centre (EKBY) (GR), the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) (GR), the Hydrobiological Institute (HIO) (NMK), the Municipality of Resen (NMK), the Hydrometeorological Institute (NMK), the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ss. Cyril & Methodius University (NMK), the National Environment Agency (NEA) (AL) and the Department of Biology – Chemistry, Agricultural University of Tirana (AL). A concept note regarding the design and pilot application of a transboundary water monitoring scheme for the Prespa basin, was drafted and presented at the first meeting of the Working Group on Water Management (WGWM), institutional policy mechanism of the Agreement on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Prespa Park Area (Art. 14), in June 2022. It was endorsed by all relevant actors and by the representatives of the EU. Greece implements the Water Framework Directive and operates a WFD-compliant national monitoring programme for surface water bodies and groundwater. EKBY is institutionally responsible to operate the national monitoring network for lakes (water quality and quantity), and undertakes ecological status assessments, according to the Water Framework Directive, under the supervision of the Directorate General for Waters, Hellenic Ministry for the Environment.
No
A joint water monitoring scheme in the Prespa basin, shared by Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania, will harmonize methodologies and enhance cross-border cooperation, leading to better water quality assessments and management of shared resources.
Climate-Related Hazards Addressed:
- Water quality and water management
Specific Problems Solved:
- Establishes a common methodology for water monitoring across the Prespa basin shared by Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania.
- Addresses knowledge gaps and incompatibility of transboundary water monitoring results, leading to more comprehensive and effective water management.
- Creates a framework for ongoing collaboration and information sharing among water experts in the three countries, ensuring sustainable and coordinated management of the Prespa basin’s water resources.
The main components of the system have been tested separately, and an initial integration exercise has been conducted.
All three countries (GR, NMK, AL) undertake, to a certain degree, water monitoring activities at the Prespa basin, however applying different methodologies and protocols. In certain cases, these are project-based. Furthermore, the results are not shared, nor harmonized in any way, between the three countries. The pressures from each side of the Prespa basin remain largely unknown. Asa result, there is a growing need for cross-border cooperation of water experts.
Greece, as part of the EU, implements the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) and operates a WFD-compliant national monitoring programme for surface water bodies and groundwater. In the case of transboundary water bodies/river basins, the WFD calls for cooperation between neighboring countries.
The design of a joint water monitoring scheme will enhance the production, harmonization and interpretation of monitoring results and thus lead to more robust river basin management plans for the shared water bodies.
The process (Prespa Water Forum) was initiated and facilitated by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), and supported by the Prespa-Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT). In the above framework, four workshops took place between 2018 – 2021, with the participation of The Goulandris Natural History Museum-Greek Biotope-Wetland Centre (EKBY) (GR), the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) (GR), the Hydrobiological Institute (HIO) (NMK), the Municipality of Resen (NMK), the Hydrometeorological Institute (NMK), the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ss. Cyril & Methodius University (NMK), the National Environment Agency (NEA) (AL) and the Department of Biology – Chemistry, Agricultural University of Tirana (AL). A concept note regarding the design and pilot application of a transboundary water monitoring scheme for the Prespa basin, was drafted and presented at the first meeting of the Working Group on Water Management (WGWM), institutional policy mechanism of the Agreement on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Prespa Park Area (Art. 14), in June 2022. It was endorsed by all relevant actors and by the representatives of the EU. Greece implements the Water Framework Directive and operates a WFD-compliant national monitoring programme for surface water bodies and groundwater. EKBY is institutionally responsible to operate the national monitoring network for lakes (water quality and quantity), and undertakes ecological status assessments, according to the Water Framework Directive, under the supervision of the Directorate General for Waters, Hellenic Ministry for the Environment.
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