Foreword

Welcome to the online toolkit on wetland management and monitoring. The toolkit has been produced by the Society for the Protection of Prespa and its partners, Tour du Valat and the National Observatory of Athens, as part of the LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project.

We are very keen to be sharing aspects of our long-term work for the conservation of Lesser Prespa lake with you. We have designed this toolkit using a wide range of media that has been produced and collated through the implementation of related summer schools and educational activities, offered to university students and site managers from Greece, Albania and North Macedonia. 

You can read through our step-by-step approach to wetland management or browse through specific steps and chapters. However, we do propose that you start your trip into Prespa, the wetlands of Lake Lesser Prespa and our work, by watching the documentary “Wings, wetland and people”. 

We hope you enjoy this dive into wetland conservation!


Irene Koutseri, LIFE Prespa Waterbirds project co-ordinator          

Giorgos Catsadorakis, Scientific advisor to the Society for the Protection of Prespa


STEPS
Foreword
Introduction
Introduction to Prespa
Μain threats to the values of the system
Wetland Management Planning in Prespa
Step 1: Understanding the socio-ecological system
1.1. The socio-ecological nexus in Prespa conservation
1.2. Governance, communication and conflict resolution at local level
1.3. The Prespa Lakes: hydro-geological and climatic context
1.4. Transboundary water management issues and actions
Step 2: Focused studies on current issues
2.1. Habitat vulnerability to climate change: an assessment
2.2. Mapping of wetland habitats
2.3. Mapping of wetland vegetation types and wildfires
2.4. Assessment of major biodiversity components
Step 3: Wetland management planning
3.1. General ecology of wetland vegetation
3.2. Wetland vegetation dynamics
3.3. Planning vegetation management in Lake Lesser Prespa
3.4. Feasibility studies on the use of biomass by-products
Step 4: Implementation of management
4.1. Vegetation management in practice
4.2. LIFE Prespa waterbirds: Implementation of large-scale management
4.3 Use of management by-products
Step 5: Assessment of management interventions
5.1. Assessment of management effects on wetland vegetation
5.2. Ecology and monitoring of target waterbirds
5.3. Ecology and monitoring of fish
5.4. Monitoring of abiotic parameters