Prespa National Park, Greece: discussing diverse perspectives.

Abstract

Prespa National Park, located in the northwest corner of Greece, is a unique environment with significant natural and cultural elements that are being seriously threatened. The past symbiotic relationship between the natural environment and the local communities located within the park boundaries has changed with the advent of agricultural intensification and the switch from mixed farming methods to a bean monoculture. Irrigation works have drained valuable wetland area and have favoured agricultural land use next to the wetland over previous use of upslope plots. The local communities face many remote rural area problems, such as depopulation; inadequate services; sense of social isolation; impoverishment of biodiversity; a low level of professional skills; and difficulty marketing products. Park infrastructure is non-existent and there is a lack of cooperation between the many agencies and levels of government that have jurisdiction over the park. This case study attempts to examine stakeholder perspectives and human ecological interactions in order to better understand the sources of conflict and environmental problems in the area.

Le parc national de Prespa, situe dans le coin nord-ouest de la Grece, est un environnement exceptionnel dont les importants aspects naturels et culturels sont serieusement menaces. L'ancienne relation symbiotique entre les collectivites locales situees a l'interieur des limites du parc et l'environnement naturel a change depuis l'avenement de l'intensification de l'agriculture et le passage de la polyculture a la monoculture de la feve. Des travaux d'irrigation ont draine de precieux milieux humides et favorise l'utilisation de terres agricoles pres des zones humides au detriment des lots en pente ascendante. Les collectivites locales font face a de nombreux problemes propres aux zones rurales eloignees, tels le depeuplement, les services inadequats, un sentiment d'isolement social, l'appauvrissement de la biodiversite, le faible niveau des habiletes professionnelles, et les difficultes de commercialisation des produits. Le parc n'a pas d'infrastructures, et il existe un manque de collaboration entre les nom breux organismes et niveaux de gouvernement qui y ont juridiction. Cette etude de cas tente d'examiner les perspectives des intervenants et les interactions biotiques humaines afin de mieux comprendre les sources des conflits et les problemes environnementaux de cette region.

Keywords

Prespa National Park, Greece, NGOs, stakeholder analysis, culture and conservation

Introduction

Environmental, resource, and protected area management are characterized by problem solving and decision-making in regard to natural resources, including the management of human interactions with these resources. The inextricable linkages between social and ecological systems have become increasingly recognized in the past decade. Slocombe (1993) asserts that understanding the state and dynamics of the ecological and institutional aspects of an ecosystem is essential for determining the obstacles against more sustainable management practices. According to McNeely (1994) detailed knowledge of the people whose lives are affected by the establishment and management of protected areas is as important to protected area management as information on the plant and animal species to be conserved. Lee (1995) suggests that the quest for sustainable development requires a better appreciation of humans' relationships with the environment and amongst each other.

Conflicts in resource and environmental management are usually over values, either ecological or human, rather than clashes over numbers (Sexton, 1998). Frequently, there is a serious incompatibility of views among regulatory agencies, affected communities, businesses and environmental groups (Grimble and Wellard, 1997). Local cultural contexts can play a significant role in shaping beliefs and perceptions concerning environmental values and conservation (Floyd et al., 1997). Investigations into the historical and contemporary land use patterns of an area, and the attitudes and aspirations of resident people can contribute to the understanding of people-park conflicts (Peters, 1999). Thus, the identification of key stakeholder attitudes, beliefs, and values could be an important first step in determining the future directions for specific protected area planning and management projects.

This paper attempts to identify the fundamental roles and perspectives of different stakeholder groups in Prespa National Park located in northern Greece in order to better understand the basis of environmental problems and conflicts in the area. Through an overview of the study area and a discussion of interactions between different groups and with their environment this paper provides a snapshot of the variety of factors that may influence future park management goals and initiatives.

This research is a part of a master's thesis study undertaken by the author. Fieldwork was conducted between June and August 2001 with the author living in local villages located both inside and outside the park boundaries. The author has ancestral connections to the area through her maternal grandparents and spent part of her stay with relatives in the village Andartiko, which is located in the Prespa municipality, but not within the park borders. The author perceived her acceptance by some of the local people in the area was aided by this heritage and her ability to communicate in Greek. Familial connections also afforded her the opportunity to be introduced to certain key individuals, such as the park warden. Efforts were made to use an interpretive approach, focusing on trying to learn the perspectives of local groups. The investigative process included a review of the reports, government documents, and literature concerning the national park and related issues; participant observation, particularly with respect to community dynamics; and 34 open ended, informal interviews, which included individuals from associated government bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities.

Case Study Background

Prespa National Park is located in the northwest corner of Greece bordering the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Albania (Figure 1). The Greek government officially declared Lake Mikri Prespa and a peripheral zone as a National Park in 1974 (IUCN, 1987). Lake Mikri Prespa is one of eleven Greek wetland complexes designated as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention (IUCN, 1987). Prespa National Park is also recognized as an Area of Exceptional Natural Beauty (Greek Ministerial Decision A/931/23211/1747/1975), a Special Protection Area under the 79/409 European Economic Community (EEC) Bird Directive, and a constituent of the Natura 2000 network under the 92/43 European Union (EU) Directive for the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and natural flora.

Greece has ten National Parks, designated between 1938 and 1974, which cover about 0.56 percent of the total land area of the country. The Greek statutory protection for National Parks (Law 998/1971) was passed in 1971 and remains largely unchanged and in use today (Papageorgiou and Brotherton, 1999). A special park authority to deal only with park issues does not exist in Greece. The main authority charged with nature conservation and administration of National Parks is the Forest Service through its district offices. The Forest Service has limited personnel and funds, with other forestry activities and responsibilities such as logging and forest road construction, being prioritized over park administration and conservation issues (Trakolis, 2001). The focus of park management in Greece has been on establishing prohibitive measures with little history of local community participation or of developing park strategies as part of regional planning (Papageorgiou, 2001).

On World Wetlands Day in February of 2000, a new transboundary Prespa Park was officially announced by Albania, Greece and FYROM. This 55,830 ha reserve, containing the two Prespa lakes, is the first transboundary protected area in the Balkans (WWF, 2000) and includes the Greek Prespa National Park, which is the focus of this study. At the present time, information concerning the transboundary park--especially the Albanian and FYROM portions--is limited and difficult to obtain.

Prespa National Park covers 256 [km.sup.2] of which approximately 43.5 [km.sup.2] and 37.64 [km.sup.2] are the Greek portions of Lake Mikri Prespa (shared with Albania) and Lake Megali Prespa (shared with Albania and FYROM), respectively (Pyrovetsi and Gerakis, 1987). The climate shows characteristics of a hot and dry Mediterranean type during the summer (July 23.6[degrees]C) and Mid-European type during the winter with long periods of high rainfall, snow, increased cloudiness and low temperatures (January 0.8[degrees]C) (Hollis and Stevenson, 1997). The park lies in a mountainous region where the altitude ranges from 853 m to 2177 m above sea level. Limestones and dolomites dominate the catchment geology on the western and southern sides of Mikri Prespa, while on the eastern side granites and gneisses predominate (Kosmas et al., 1997). The number and diversity of animal species in Prespa is commonly attributed to the high variety of habitats, the existence of relatively large areas with shallow water around the lake and the existence of mountainous habitats nearby (Catsadorakis, 1997a).