DrinCorda

Author: kpavlides

  • The Drin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis

     Read the Drin TDA Summary here ENGPDF icon

    Read the Drin TDA Summary in the languages of Albania and Kosovo here, North Macedonia here and Montenegro here PDF icon

    Read the Drin TDA here PDF icon

    Read the Drin Ecological flows report here PDF icon

    Please contact secreteriat@gwpmed.org in case you would like to be sent any of the following TDA Thematic Reports: (i) Socio-economics; (ii) Institutional and Legal Setting; (iii) Biodiversity and Ecosystems; (iv) Hydrology and Hydrogeology; (v) Pollution and Water Quality; (vi) Nexus**

     

    The identification of four priority transboundary problems

    The Drin Transboundary Diagnostics Analysis (TDA) provided necessary information that enabled the Drin Riparians to discuss and identify four priority transboundary problems each one exacerbated by the impacts of climate variability and change:

    A Causal Chain Analysis (CCA) done as part of the TDA, allowed the identification of the causes of the transboundary problems. The CCA has informed the development of the Drin Strategic Action Programme that included management actions to address these causes.

    In addition, the TDA assisted in enhancing the knowledge basis of the Drin Riparians regarding the state of the natural and anthropogenic environment in the basin and developing the building blocks of a Drin Basin Management Plan in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive, should the Riparians decide to develop such a plan in the future.

    Developing the Drin TDA

    The Drin TDA followed GEF best practice on TDA development. The development and drafting process of the TDA was carried out between July 2016 and December 2018.

    To analyse the system, the source-to-sea approach* was followed, to the extent allowed by the information available on transitional waters and the marine area. The boundaries of the system to be analysed was defined considering the natural characteristics and local conditions; the area consisted of the natural elements comprising the catchment, aquifers, transitional waters, coastal waters and the coastal zone/marine area.

    The ‘Situation Analysis: Management of the Extended Drin Basin’ (Drin Situation Analysis) served as a starting point for the Drin TDA.

    The TDA was the core document, that synthesized the findings of basin-wide Thematic Reports:

    • Thematic Report on Socio-economics
    • Thematic Report on Institutional and Legal Setting
    • Thematic Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems
    • Thematic Report on Hydrology and Hydrogeology
    • Thematic Report on Pollution and Water Quality
    • Thematic Report on the Nexus**

    The TDA document and the associated thematic reports are ‘living documents’ that will be periodically revised and are intended to serve as a baseline against which future progress is measured.

    Stakeholders engagement in the development of the TDA

    A Stakeholders Analysis was used to map stakeholders, analyse their characteristics and capture their views regarding the issues impacting the basin.

    Stakeholders are those that understand the Drin Basin system best and those that will work on the ground for addressing the transboundary problems. Their knowledge was factored in the Drin TDA. Their involvement -see the table bellow- secured a high level of ownership.

    Stakeholders Engagement in the development of the TDA 

    Time

    Location

    Meeting

    Topic

    Project life

    All Drin Riparians

    DCG and EWG meetings / twice per year

    The TDA table of contents was adopted. At each consecutive meeting, TDA development progress was discussed, specific thematic reports were presented to the DCG/EWG members and the reports were reviewed/approved.

    Project life

    All Drin Riparians

    Individual meetings with representatives of the relevant institutions: Ministers, Directors of Departments, Heads of Agencies, etc.

    Introduction of the project (the TDA was part of introduction), investigation of opportunities for cooperation; presentation of developments; receiving guidance on issues related to the development of the TDA ensuring compatibility with national priorities, especially the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.

    Oct– Nov 2016

    Six cities covering all Drin sub-basins

    Focus Group meetings

    Among others: identified the perceived key management issues and problems at the sub-basin and basin levels as well as their causes and impacts from the stakeholders’ perspective.

    Mar 2017

    Tirana

    Meeting with Riparian experts from all Drin Riparians

    Coordination and preparation of the thematic reports.

    Nov 2017

    Podgorica

    Stakeholders Conference

    The stakeholders were presented with key findings from the process of developing the thematic reports on the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and provided input. Focus was placed on socio-economic, biodiversity and institutional and legal setting thematic reports as well as the main findings of the TDA and the Casual Chain Analysis.

    Nov 2018

    Ohrid

    Stakeholders Conference

    The stakeholders were presented with key findings from the process of developing the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and provided input. Focus was placed on pollution and hydrology thematic reports as well as the main findings of the TDA and the Casual Chain Analysis.

    Dec 2018

    Athens

    CCA-SAP Workshop

    Local and International experts participated in the preparation of the Thematic Reports, reviewed the Casual Chain Analysis and prepared a first set of interventions to address the transboundary issues identified.

     

    Footnotes:

    * A source-to-sea approach consolidates analysis, planning, policymaking, and decision-making across sectors and scales. It considers the entire social, ecological and economic system, from the land area that is drained by a river system to the coastal area and even the open ocean it flows into. A source-to-sea system includes the land area that is drained by a river system or systems, its lakes and tributaries (the river basin), connected aquifers and downstream recipients including deltas and estuaries, coastlines and near-shore waters, the adjoining sea and continental shelf as well as the open ocean. Water, sediment, pollutants, biota, materials and ecosystem services key flows, connect the sub-systems in the source-to-sea continuum and their geographies.

    ** The nexus assessment/approach looks into the interlinkages and trade-offs among the sectors of water, land, energy and environment aiming to identify solutions that will foster not only water and environment security, but also energy and food security. In other words, the nexus assessment has no bias towards a specific sector and is multi-centric by definition.

     

     

  • Accessibility

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  • Gender aspects in sustainable development in the Drin basin

    Gender equality can enable and even accelerate the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender considerations are included in all sustainable development work and climate action. Albania, Kosovo*, Montenegro and North Macedonia, which were part of the Drin project, have all made important progress towards gender equality; they have ratified CEDAW and other international conventions, are all committed to EU accession processes and aim to align their legislation with EU directives, have adopted Gender Equality Law or Antidiscrimination Law, have developed Gender Equality Strategies and taken a number of other steps towards gender equality.

    Notwithstanding considerable progress in some priority areas, challenges in some of the sectors relevant to NEXUS still need to be reviewed carefully and be addressed accordingly. As a result, all nexus related sectors need to be informed on the importance and on the barriers and opportunities that push for gender equality and accelerate progress towards sustainable development.

    An online Learning workshop on Gender Equality (GE) and Sustainable Development in the Drin basin took place on 21 December 2020, with the participation of representatives from gender related institutions, academia, civil society, youth activists and media. Its purpose was to familiarise stakeholders from fields related to the basin management and Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus with the basic concepts of gender equality, as well as the importance of gender mainstreaming in policy making. The Workshop also served as a platform for sharing related insights, exchanging policy-related experiences and identifying entry points and best practices from the Drin basin and beyond.

    Read the Concept Note & Agenda.

    Agenda Item Presentation / Video

    The Global Water Partnership Gender Agenda

    • Dr Liza Debevec, GWP Senior Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist

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    The role of gender in sustainable management of natural resources

    • Ms Fiorela Shalsi, Senior Gender Advisor, GWP-Med

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    Gender, rural development and sustainable forestry in Albania

    • Ms Anila Aliaj, CNVP Gender Officer

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    Roundtable Discussion – Gender and sustainable development in the Drin basin

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    The Workshop was organized in the framework of the Drin CORDA process and the supporting project “Promoting the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in Southeastern Europe, through the use of the Nexus approach” financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) implemented by the GWP-Med in partnership with the UNECE in synergy with the GEF Drin Project.

     

    * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

  • Transboundary Monitoring

    Read the Guidelines for Monitoring Strategies in Transboundary Aquifers here PDF icon

    Read the final report for the Design of a multipurpose transboundary groundwater monitoring network here PDF icon

    Structured monitoring strategies are paramount to achieving sustainable groundwater resources management and meeting environmental goals. In the case of transboundary aquifer management, structured approaches are necessary in order to facilitate agreement on joint monitoring strategies among the involved countries; once in place, these strategies can enhance trust and cooperation for the management of transboundary water resources.

    The Webinar “Monitoring Strategies in Transboundary Aquifers: Goals, Methods and Tools – The case study of Skadar/Shkoder – Buna/Bojana Delta transboundary alluvial aquifer”, conducted in the frame of the GEF Drin project, analyses existing groundwater monitoring strategies, tools and methods for transboundary aquifers and provides guidelines on how to design monitoring plans compliant with EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) regulations and national frameworks. It also provided specific guidelines for the operation of a monitoring network in the particular two-hydrogeology context (coastal area and inland alluvial aquifer) as applied in the Global Environment Facility Drin project.

    Read the webinars’ Agenda and Concept Note.

    Agenda Item Presentation / Video

    Introduction: Welcoming remarks

    • Alice Aureli, Chief of Groundwater System and Human Settlements Section, UNESCO IHP

    • Vangelis Constantianos, Regional Coordinator, GWP-Med

    • Neno Kukuric, Director, IGRAC


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    Session 1: Why monitoring is paramount to address appropriate groundwater resources management and to attain EU WFD environmental goals? The specific case of transboundary aquifers.

    • Dr. Josep Mas Pla

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    Session 2: The hydrogeological conceptual model as an initial step towards design of a monitoring network. Data requirements, basic issues (including pressures, impacts, vulnerability and risks) to be considered.

    • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso

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    Session 3: Where must monitoring wells be located? Identifying and selecting the most representative spots in coastal aquifers and inland aquifers.

    • Dr. Josep Mas Pla

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    Session 4: How to monitor groundwater levels? Instrumentation and practical considerations. Interpretation and reporting hydraulic head data.

    • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso

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    Session 5: How to monitor groundwater quality? Groundwater sampling techniques and practical considerations. Interpretation and reporting hydrochemical data.

    • Dr. Josep Mas Pla

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    Session 6: Data management: Considerations on data processing, storage, quality assurance and reporting. Sharing databases in transboundary aquifer monitoring programs.

    • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso

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    Summary: Proposal of a feasible monitoring plan based for a transboundary aquifer on the EU WFD regulations applied to the DRIN project.

    • Dr. Josep Mas Pla

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    Plenary Discussion: Questions and Answers

    Moderators:

    • Alexandros Makarigakis, Dr Josep Mas Pla, Dr Laura Alonso


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    Closing remarks

    • Alexandros Makarigakis, Groundwater System and Human Settlements Section, UNESCO IHP

    • Dimitris Faloutsos, Deputy Regional Coordinator, GWP-Med / Drin Project Manager


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    The workshop was organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in partnership with the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med).

  • Capacity Building

  • Transboundary Monitoring

    Read the final report here PDF icon.

    The region has significant and important groundwater resources. The main uses of groundwater in the Drin Basin are potable water supply and irrigation.

    Due to the complex hydrogeological structures, the surface hydrological boundaries often do not coincide with the hydrogeological boundaries of the catchments of surface-water bodies. For example, Lake Prespa has an underground hydraulic connection with Lake Ohrid.

    Groundwater resources are often vulnerable to pressure resulting from socio-economic activities. Effects of these pressures affect both nature and humans.

    Structured monitoring strategies are paramount to achieving sustainable groundwater resources management and meeting environmental goals. In the case of transboundary aquifer management, structured approaches are necessary in order to facilitate agreement on joint monitoring strategies among the involved countries; once in place, these strategies can enhance trust and cooperation for the management of transboundary water resources.

    Responding to the need of establishing transboundary monitoring the GEF Drin project supported a pilot activity implemented in cooperation with UNESCO aiming to design and test a modern multi‐purpose transboundary groundwater monitoring network in the Skadar/Shkoder – Buna/Bojana Delta transboundary alluvial aquifer (Albania & Montenegro) in line with relevant EU legislation. The results will be used to upscale related activities at the Drin Basin level.

    An initial desk-study provided knowledge on the status of the aquifer’s groundwater resources, based on existing information, as well as on information related to surface waters, freshwater ecosystems, and coastal environment. These efforts were then complemented by developing the hydrogeological conceptual model and the aquifer’s comprehensive vulnerability analysis (examining both vertical and horizontal vulnerability) for the study area which later helped in creating the basis for design of the groundwater monitoring network. 

    The groundwater monitoring programme was tested in the two countries. 

    Within the framework of this project, and in collaboration with GEF IW:LEARN a webinar on groundwater monitoring, focusing on a hydrogeological context to design a monitoring network of the examined aquifers was organized.

    Figure: Conceptual model Montenegrin segment of transboundary aquifer. (1) Equivalent vertical-horizontal scale cross section (2) vertical-horizontal scale exaggeration hydrogeological cross section (3) local hydrogeological cross-section zooming into the Zeta plain intergranular aquifer.

     

     

    Figure: Conceptual model of the Albanian segment of transboundary aquifer. (1) Hydrogeological cross section towards the sea (2) Hydrogeological cross section of intergranular aquifer contributing to the Skadar/Shkoder Lake.

     

     

  • Floods Insurance

    A challenging and recurring natural hazard…

    Floods are the most challenging and recurring natural hazard in the wider Western Balkan region and therefore also in the Drin Basin. River floods occur mainly from March to June (spring) and from September to November (autumn) in plains and lowlands. As snow melting causes spring floods, these often last longer than autumn floods, which are caused by heavy rainfall, making them more sudden with very high flows. Climate change is forecasted to increase both the frequency and intensity of flooding and droughts in the region.

    Apart from climate change effects, geomorphological characteristics, hydrological features of watercourses and geotechnical formation of the terrain, flood events in the Drin Basin region are also augmented by environmental degradation factors such as continued pollution and poor waste management, as well as by factors such as improper urbanization and/or inappropriate land use.

    Flooding events in riparian countries of the Drin Basin have been experienced more frequently since 2010. Socio-economic vulnerability is high due to the high (9-21%) poverty rate and unemployment, particularly in rural and mountainous areas.

                

    “Stormwater model 2D simulation of the lower Drin Basin, Buna/Bojana sub/basin and part of the Skadar/Shkoder sub-basin,  HEC-RAS 2012 and RIVERFLOW2D 2019; water levels computed between 9.7 masl and 9.85 masl.

    In A.Mubi Zalaznik, A. Potokar,  P. Banovec, M. Cerk (2020): Report on the Wastewater Treatment Decision Support Tool for Shkodra City Pilot Model, Anex 6; within the project Preparation of Wastewater Management Decision Support Tool In the framework of Memorandum of Understanding for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin GEF Project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Extended River Basin”

    Action for flood risk management  

    Risk transfer mechanisms such as risk-based flood insurance and thus the long-term flood risk financing were among the key sustainability issues to be addressed, as part of the future implementation of integrated flood risk management at the basin scale.

    Responding to the needs and related provisions in the Drin MoU and in line with the Drin Strategic Action programme, the pilot activity entitled “Flood insurance in the areas of Skadar/Shkodër Lake – Buna/Bojana River, and Struga in Ohrid Lake” was implemented under the GEF Drin project. Its objective was to assess the feasibility of introducing flood/natural disasters insurance as one of a suite of flood risk transfer mechanisms for the basin and provide clear recommendations on what would be required for full development and implementation of a basin-wide insurance scheme, by undertaking studies in pilot areas which are among those at highest risk of flooding in the Drin Basin i.e. the Skadar/Shkodër, Buna/Bojana, and Struga areas.

    Willingness to pay surveys was one of the tools under the activity, using focus groups meetings and individual interviews to collect relevant information on residents’ and other stakeholders’ attitude towards risk and their willingness to support/subsidize the insurance scheme. Such information helped to assess different insurance options and determine the willingness of users to pay for these as well as the willingness of the institutions to contribute in their implementation.

    The activity comprised five phases of implementation:

    Phase 1. Inception phase
    Phase 2. Data collection and analysis of existing conditions
    Phase 3: Socio-economic vulnerability assessment and characterisation of study areas
    Phase 4: Willingness to pay survey of outline flood insurance scheme
    Phase 5: Private Sector Willingness to contribute to/subsidise flood insurance

  • Valuation of Ecosystem Services

    Read the Report for the Valuation of Ecosystem Services of Lake Ohrid  herePDF icon

    Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest and largest lakes, is a biodiversity hotspot that supports diverse ecosystems, local societies and economies. Located at the southern part of the extended Drin basin, it is shared between Albania and North Macedonia.

    To promote transboundary cooperation and the sustainable management of the Lake’s resources which currently face a number of environmental challenges, the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan was developed in the frame of the GEF Drin project was adopted by the littoral countries.

    One of the key inputs that informed the development of the Plan was the valuation of the Lake’s Ecosystem Services. An Ecosystem Services Valuation aims to assign a monetary value stemming from an ecosystem and the services it provides, which is normally not reflected in market prices, and therefore more often than not, ignored in decision making.

    Given that ecosystem services are not equally distributed in space and time, the value of these ecosystem services, as well as of the natural assets that provide them, is often overlooked. Further, current commodity markets only expose information about the value of ecosystem processes and services that are priced and incorporated in transactions, which thus poses limitations on the ability of the markets to provide a broad picture of the ecological values involved in decision processes. The logic behind ecosystem service valuation is to resolve the complexities of socio-ecological relationships, make explicit how human decisions can affect ecosystem service values, and to express these values in monetary units that allow for their incorporation in public decision-making processes.

    The results of the Ecosystem Services valuation for the Lake Ohrid Watershed are summarized in the table below (click on the table to enlarge it). The total value – expressed in monetary units – of the ecosystem services of the LOW in 20171 is $295.1 mil. The unit value per area, taking into consideration the entire area of the watershed, equals $2,102/ha. Within this, the value of services of Lake Ohrid is $63.3 mil, or 21.4% of the total value; the value of services of forests, protected and agriculture areas within the watershed is $35.52 mil. (12% of the TEV); and the value of services that are related to the entire watershed is $196.55 mil, or 66.6% of the total value.

     

    [1] Due to data availability, the analysis done are for the period 2016 – 2018. However, information on all valued ecosystem services is organized on an annual basis, thus 2017 is assumed as an ‘average year’.

  • Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan

    Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan here PDF icon

    Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary here  PDF icon

    Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary in the languages of Albania and Kosovo herePDF icon 

    Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary in the language of  North Macedonian here PDF icon

    Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan brochure herePDF icon

    Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is shared between Albania and North Macedonia and is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes and a biodiversity hotspot of global importance. Being 2-5 million years old, it contains 55.4 km3 of water, hosts more than 300 endemic species and has 9 protected and sensitive areas. Approximately 170.000 people live around the lake, which sustains economic activities such as fishing, agriculture, hydropower and tourism.

                                    

    The Lake faces a number of environmental challenges, all of which are exacerbated by climate change. As a result, the lake’s ecosystem and vulnerable biodiversity are threatened, as are the economic and human activities it hosts. In order to address these challenges, coordinated action is required at the national and transboundary levels.

    Table: Environmental Challenges 

    Poor water status

    Construction of tourism facilities directly on the shore, destruction of reed belts (for agricultural land conversion and high pollution discharges at the mouth of the tributaries, have caused 75% of the water in the perimeter of the lake to have moderate, poor or bad status.

    Eutrophication

    Increased pollution from households, agriculture and industry results in decreased oxygen levels in parts of the lake during certain time periods, affecting in an adverse way the ecosystems. 

    Habitat destruction

    Land development has impacted natural habitats along the shoreline. The connections between the lake and shoreline channels and wetlands have been interrupted, affecting endemic bottom fauna species, as well as water birds. 

    Declining fish stocks

    Human activities along the shoreline threaten the spawning and wintering grounds of the Ohrid trout and other endemic fishes. Populations of commercially important fish as the Lake Ohrid trout and the belvica are in immediate danger of collapse, according to the IUCN List of Endangered Species.

    Under the GEF Drin Project, the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean, in close cooperation with competent institutions in Albania and North Macedonia, developed the Lake Ohrid Management Plan (LOWMP).

    The LOWMP, the result of scientific work-see above-with input by the stakeholders, was aimed to enable the sustainable management of Lake Ohrid’s natural resources. Its Programme of Measures included more than 100 measures designed to prevent further deterioration of water resources and ecosystems, promote sustainable water use, improve water resource and ecosystem quality and contribute to the mitigation of floods and droughts in the area.

    It was prepared to be the official instrument of cooperation and act as the “Master Plan” for the two littoral countries. The LOWMP is only the second transboundary management plan developed in South East Europe in accordance with the European Union Water Framework Directive.

    The development of the LOWMP was informed by data gathering, including a joint Lake Ohrid water quality surveillance monitoring campaign (a first of its kind to cover the total of the lake basin), an economic analysis and a valuation of ecosystem services.

    A two-year consultation process took place, being of key importance for the development of the Management Plan. The process engaged all relevant stakeholders and institutions in Albania and North Macedonia, and comprised direct meetings with local government officials and businesses, focus group and expert group meetings as well as national consultation meetings in both countries.

    The Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan was discussed by the bilateral Lake Ohrid Watershed Committee. The plan was approved by the responsible authorities of Albania and North Macedonia.