Albania to host 3rd Management Planning Workshop and Thematic Training for the protection of Lake Ohrid region

The city of Pogradec, Albania, is set to host the third Management Planning Workshop and Thematic Training for the Lake Ohrid region from 7 to 10 December 2015. The workshop will bring together a number of stakeholders to advance the work on an integrated management system for the protection and sustainable development of the Lake Ohrid region. The Lake Ohrid stands out as one of the world’s oldest lakes with a unique mix of natural and cultural heritage.

The workshop will be carried out in the framework of the 36-month European Union-funded (EUR 1,700,000) and Albanian co-financed (EUR 170,000) project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”, intended to address the main threats affecting the Lake Ohrid region through reinforcing transboundary cooperation, enhancing management effectiveness and identifying and safeguarding its natural and cultural heritage.

The Management Planning workshop in Pogradec will be the third in in a series of five workshops aimed at the improvement of heritage management through the assessment, planning and establishment of integrated management mechanisms.

The emphasis of both the Management Planning Workshop and the Thematic Training will be on the long-term vision, discussing boundaries and buffer zones, and identifying management objectives for the Lake Ohrid region in Albania as a potential World Heritage. The activities are closely related to the possible extension to Albania of the existing World Heritage property “Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region”, inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1979 and located in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Representatives from both countries will participate in the workshop, including national authorities from the respective Ministries of Environment and Culture, local authorities from the municipalities of the Lake Ohrid region, Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN) as well as a representative from UNESCO.

More information about this Pilot Project for the Lake Ohrid region can be found at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/lake-ohrid-region/