UNESCO's International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme at a session held in Jönkoping, Sweden named the region of Ohrid and Prespa a cross-border biosphere reserve.
UNESCO's decision is a recognition of the commitment and an excellent stimulation for heightened tourist promotion thus enabling better economic profit in the region, it was noted.
"The creation of biosphere reserve is a sublimate of all existing protected strips in the region and the new status is expected to increase the interest in the world for our region from an environmental and business point of view. People and biospheres are one single body through sustainable development and biosphere reserve is a huge investment for the future of Ohrid and Prespa, said Dejan Panovski - Macedonia's representative of the Lake Ohrid bilateral secretariat.
The nomination for declaring the Ohrid-Prespa region a biosphere reserve was promoted by the Lake Ohrid bilateral secretariat, which was supported by MAB committees, the environment ministries and the UNESCO national committees of Macedonia and Albania.
The creation of a reserve for Lake Ohrid's mouth, which also includes the region of Prespa, is a result of an initiative by the Lake Ohrid bilateral secretariat as part of the Lake Ohrid preservation agreement, implemented jointly by Macedonia and Albania.
So called 'biosphere reserves' are areas where human activities are focused on sustainable use of natural resources and provision of adequate conditions for humans to live in harmony with fauna and flora. UNESCO recognizes the biosphere reserves as areas known for their uniqueness.
