Lake Prespa at Risk Due to Climate Change and Human Activity
The Prespa Meteorological Center, located on the shores of Lake Prespa, shared by North Macedonia, Greece, and Albania, has recorded a lower average rainfall in April than in previous years due to global warming. Goran Lazarevski from the center states, “With global warming, rainfall, and snowfall are steadily decreasing.”
The lake faces two serious threats: anthropogenic influence and climate change, according to Ajam Al Malla, director of the Department of Ecology of the City of Resen. The drastic drop in the lake’s water level has seriously endangered the rich biodiversity and ornithological fauna of this region.
Biologist Nikola Zdraveski’s study reveals that the withdrawal of water has adversely affected the habitats’ quality, making it difficult for species to find food and spawn, causing them to leave the area. A year ago, the lake’s water level was higher, and now it is five meters below.
The situation demands urgent measures by the three countries that share the lake’s water to address the ecological crisis and prevent further deterioration. The survival of this landscape, existing for over a million years, is at risk.
