4.3 Use of management by-products

Introduction

The management of vegetation in the littoral zone of Lesser Prespa Lake, by means of cutting in summer and autumn, supplies a large quantity of vegetation biomass, primarily composed of common reed Phragmites australis, lesser bulrush Typha angustifolia and hop sedge Carex pseudocyperus. The use of this extracted biomass by local stakeholders (e.g. stockbreeders, farmers) has been a main objective of the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project, as it offers an opportunity for nutrient recycling, and is considered a cost-effective way to prepare the ground for a communal management scheme that will incentivise stakeholders to actively participate in vegetation management, as the end products reduce their annual costs.

The SPP and the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project assessed the possible uses of this biomass, looking into two different possibilities: (a) the use of the biomass as fodder for cattle in winter; and (b) the use of the biomass as a soil conditioner for bean fields. In this section, we describe the processes employed to involve stockbreeders in the collection of fodder, and the results in terms of the amount of biomass extracted and the level of participation (for the experimental use of biomass as soil conditioner, please refer to section 3.4).

Use of biomass as fodder

In certain places around Lesser Prespa Lake, wetland vegetation management has long been employed by stockbreeders as a means to extract fodder for their cattle herds. Owing to this long-term management, the vegetation has been kept at low levels in these few areas (maximum 20ha), so they are characterised as meadows, rather than reedbeds, with stockbreeders extracting reasonable amounts of fodder for their herds. In addition, some of these areas are privately owned and thus subject to annual management by the owners.

Cutting operations around the lake are subject to three main factors: the timing of interventions in summer in order to extract biomass with the highest nutritional value; the water level in summer (July onwards); and the vegetation structure itself (see also sections 3.2 & 3.4). Stockbreeders have traditionally perceived that the vegetation in the littoral zone is valuable for their cattle if cut in summer, when it is still green, and this was recently confirmed by the results of the assessment under this project (see section 3.4). However, high water levels in summer mean that the deeper parts of these areas become waterlogged, so cutting cannot take place there until the water level has receded, limiting the extent of possible interventions by stockbreeders. Furthermore, reeds will gradually encroach upon an area if it is not cut on an annual basis, and after 2-3 years this may result in a substantial amount of dry standing reed vegetation, which is not considered to be beneficial for livestock.

The LIFE Prespa waterbirds project worked at two main levels to promote the use of biomass as fodder to local stockbreeders:

(a) areas with long-standing dry reed vegetation were cut and cleared through the initial project interventions, including deeper parts where possible, thus providing larger areas for the extraction of valuable biomass in subsequent years;

(b) supplementing the stockbreeders’ activities by carrying out additional baling and cutting in autumn through the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project, enabling the stockbreeders to apply vegetation management over larger areas, that they would otherwise not be interested in nor have the means to manage on their own, with an obvious trade-off in increased biomass for use as fodder and thus higher benefits.

Distribution process

Interventions in the littoral zone take place in large communal or state-owned property; communal property belongs to the Municipality of Prespa, and is assigned to Municipal units (a subdivision within municipalities, roughly corresponding to villages) for management as grasslands, whilst state property is directly owned by the Greek state.

Each year, the MBPNP releases an announcement for stockbreeders to declare their interest in cutting littoral vegetation and receiving reed biomass from the wetland vegetation management. As soon as the application process is completed, the MBPNP, along with the SPP, which is implementing the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project, decides on how to assign the cutting of different areas and subsequently distribute the biomass to stockbreeders, according to specific criteria, such as:

1. the relation of the stockbreeder to the municipal unit in which management is taking place, i.e. stockbreeders whose livestock farms are within specific municipal units have a higher priority for implementing management in these areas; only if there is no declared interest by the stockbreeders within a municipal unit can the management and biomass collection be assigned to stockbreeders from other municipal units,

2. the ability of stockbreeders to implement cutting and the collection (baling) of the biomass themselves, i.e. stockbreeders who own the appropriate equipment and can carry out management on their own are prioritised over stockbreeders who cannot contribute, or contribute less, to the actual management and collection of vegetation.

3. the size of the livestock unit is also taken into consideration, when deciding about the amount of biomass that each stockbreeder is entitled to receive.

The three criteria are used interchangeably and in combination, and there is continuous exchange of information and discussions between the stockbreeders, the SPP and the MBPNP throughout the summer and autumn period, reformulating and adjusting to the weather conditions, the progress of activities and the level of participation by stockbreeders. In essence, management commences with the application of cutting by stockbreeders, while the SPP and the LIFE project intervene with additional cutting and baling in order to supplement the work of stockbreeders and manage additional areas, if needed, where the stockbreeders cannot intervene, due to either practical restrictions or reduced interest.

Amounts and use of biomass extracted 

Over the three-year period between 2018 and 2020, it has been estimated that the combined efforts of the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project and local stockbreeders have led to the extraction of 570 tons of reed/wetland vegetation biomass, of which 95% has been used by an average of 20 stockbreeders as fodder for their herds. At the same time, not only have the stockbreeders contributed to the management cutting operations (see also section 4.3), it appears that their interest has also led to an increased contribution to baling activities as well (i.e. collection of vegetation into bales); in 2020, about 60% of baling activities were carried out by stockbreeders.

In 2021, based on the application processes that took place earlier in the year, there seems to be an even higher interest, with 21 stockbreeders applying for participation in wetland vegetation management. 

Baling activities, SPP Archive: H. Nikolaou

Lessons learnt, affecting the future of implementation

As noted also in section 4.2., long-term solutions applied by stakeholders are always preferable, as they secure the continuation of actions beyond the scope of a project and are key to maintaining ideal wetland conditions. Within this three-year period, there has been a clear increase of participation by stakeholders, owing to the increasing benefits arising from the use of extracted biomass. The role of the SPP through the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project has been to promote this management scheme and supplement the work of stockbreeders in order to attain the maximum management targets and assist in the timely completion of works. Beyond the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project, it is possible that annual conservation activities, as defined and approved by the MBPNP, will be largely implemented by stockbreeders, with the SPP supporting wetland management with additional activities on an annual basis.