It is a rare case that many different actors cooperate for a common goal. Cooperation is a difficult task, but when achieved, the results are impressive.
PoliPrespa. The greek words Polites (civilians), Polis (city), Pollee (many), Poly (much) accompany the word Prespa and give the meaning of participation and collaboration of the Poliprespa programme that was materialised by all the local actors of Prespa and with a grant by Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The aim of the programme Poliprespa (2018-2022) was to implement a development model that synchronises the environment, the economy and society in a common trajectory and become a model for the development of other protected areas. With a 5-year duration and with most of its actions continuing long after the end of the programme, Poliprespa intervened and improved all aspects of the daily life of the Prespiots: education, culture, environment, agriculture and tourism.
The projects aimed to strengthen education, sport and culture in general and are mainly related to the support of local schools, the operation of the public library and the Patoulidio sports centre. These actions are mainly aimed at improving the social services already provided, strengthening extroversion and fostering the creativity of children and young people. In the agricultural sector, actions included the protection of Prespa beans, strengthening competitiveness and diversifying production by introducing alternative agricultural products. The programme also supported environmental actions for the management of the wetland, focusing on the protection of biodiversity, while maintaining a direct link with human activities.
Finally, ecotourism is another field in which the programme acted in a supportive and reinforcing way. Actions in this direction included the promotion of the sector, as well as the systematic promotion of Prespa as a destination for specialised tourist audiences.
The Municipality of Prespa, farmers, schools, cultural and sports associations and the local society joined forces to implement a 5-year programme that attempts to make the common vision for the development of the region a reality.
The local actors that collaborated for Poliprespa are: the Municipality of Prespa, the Society for the Protection of Prespa, the Agricultural Cooperative of bean producers “Pelekanos”, schools, the Parents and Guardians Associations, Cultural Associations of Prespa, Sports Associations and other local entities. This is a project implemented with the partial financial support of the participating organisations and a grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), which contributed decisively to the materialization of the programme.
A programme for the development of Prespa based on active participation, collective effort and perseverance for a better future for the most scarcely populated municipality in Greece. One of the positive outcomes of the program is this present site and the online community platform for Prespa engage.poliprespa.gr
More info: Zenia Anastasiadou, SPP, tel.: +30 23850 51211, email: zenia@spp.gr