The captivating story of Little Prespa Lake, a once-vibrant body of water on the Albanian-Greek border that is now slowly dying due to a combination of human intervention and climate change. Explore the dire consequences for the local community and the broader Balkan region, as well as the urgent need for international cooperation to save this precious natural resource. Climate change and water scarcity are key factors in this environmental crisis.
A Lake in Peril
Little Prespa Lake, one of two lakes straddling the frontier between Albania and Greece, was once a pristine oasis. Desolate fishing ships marooned in the mud, replaced by cows where once fish abounded. Among those locals for whom the transformation is most heartbreaking are people like Enver Llomi, who told RFE/RL that he remembers a time when he and fellow villagers were able to catch up to 10 kilograms of fish per day in the river — and irrigate local fields from it.
Experts say some 430 out of the 450 hectares that constitute the Albanian part of the lake have turned into swamps or completely dried up. The origins of this ecological catastrophe date back to the Communist era as well — in the 1970s, when communist leader Enver Hoxha ordered that the Devoll River be re-routed so locals could irrigate the fields they had been engaging for centuries but were unable to because of geography.
The Brutal Cost of Climate Change
Although human-induced interventions have been very effective in aiding the decrease of the lake, climate change has intensified it. The area around the lake has also become warmer due to more mild winters and less snowfall, along with little precipitation robbing it of a vital wet system as part of its ecosystem.
Local park ranger Astrit Kodra says if the extreme conditions occur again, “ethnic gjithçka” — “everything would be over” for the lake. However, the Little Prespa Lake is just a precursor for more of the same elsewhere in an inherently water-rich but rarely effectively managed and conserved Balkan region.
Hurricanes would be a Ripple effect in the Region.
The condition of Little Prespa Lake is not an exception. The Great Prespa Lake, one of the oldest in Europe and shared between Albania, Greece, and North Macedonia as well as La Garda have had substantial water level reductions. The decline in the water level of the Great Prespa Lake has reached 54 centimeters in only four months; according to ecological expert Llazi Stojan, due to less precipitation associated with an average warmer climate.
Experts warn that Lake Ohrid, located very near the shrinking Prespa and equally sublime, could also eventually descend into steep decline. The fact that everything is connected underscores the necessity of a joint inter-state effort to keep these invaluable water rights. Astrit Kodra states: as long as it is not too late, we have to intervene and act united.
