Specialized equipment, the amphibious machine Truxor, purchased with the contribution of the Poliprespa program, will contribute to expanding the management of the entire reedbed, addressing significant issues that have arisen over time and require specialized handling, such as the need to increase open water areas and manage deeper lake depths.
In 2020, for the third consecutive year, large-scale wetland management actions were implemented, including in deeper areas of the lakeshore zone and the lake itself. Overall, 2020 was a very dry year with lake levels reaching exceptionally low levels. This resulted in fewer wet meadows, essential habitats for fish reproduction and bird feeding. Additionally, favorable weather conditions during the summer favored sporadic and small-scale wetland fires. A positive aspect in this context is that the firebreak zones established in previous years using specialized equipment like the amphibious Truxor effectively prevented wildfires. An interesting observation is that these firebreak zones also functioned as bird feeding grounds as they created vertical habitats in deeper parts of the reedbed, many of which were flooded.
From mid-summer to early winter, wetland management activities were carried out periodically under the supervision of the Prespa National Park Management Authority, with scientific and technical support from the Society for the Protection of Prespa and the participation of livestock breeders. In total, these activities covered an area of 622 hectares, with harvested grass/reeds distributed among 30 local livestock breeders who showed interest. Another positive development was the increasing involvement of livestock breeders over time; this year, they independently cut 50% of the planned lakeshore area harvest and participated in 60% of biomass collection tasks.
In recent years, the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures and extreme weather events such as prolonged periods of drought and intense rainfall, have had a direct impact on the wetland and its ecosystem functions, underscoring the increasing importance of monitoring and management.
Concurrently, a research program is underway to utilize biomass as soil amendment in bean cultivation, involving three producers. This pilot program has been implemented successfully over two consecutive growing seasons in collaboration with the University of Western Macedonia, which is conducting the research.
It is worth noting that reedbed management actions were experimentally implemented for the first time in Small Prespa in 1999. Subsequently, from 2002 to 2007, wide-scale management was carried out (LIFE 02 NAT GR 8494 program), yielding very positive results for biodiversity indicators and human activities such as fishing and livestock farming.
Following the program’s completion in 2007, management continued through a highly participatory decision-making system, the Wetland Management Committee.
