A disappearing lake
In the southwest of the country, on the border with Albania and Greece, Lake Prespa is a treasure trove for Macedonians, tourists and biodiversity alike. The NGO BirdLife International has classified the Macedonian shore of the lake as an important bird conservation area. It is home to some of the world's most endangered birds, such as the Dalmatian pelican(Pelecanus crispus). The waters of the lake are home to several species of fish, nine of which are endemic. However, many of these fish, such as the salmon trout(Salmo peristericus), are now threatened with extinction. Lake Prespa, their only habitat, is disappearing!
Due to climate change, rainfall is getting lower and lower, so that the lake is shrinking considerably as a result of reduced rainfall and snowfall. In some places, the shores of one of Europe's oldest lakes have already receded by 3 km. Between 1984 and 2020, the lake is estimated to have lost 7% of its surface area.
What's more, the lake's water is particularly polluted, not only by the use of pesticides in the surrounding agricultural areas, but also by plastic waste, reported by sources. The collateral victim, Lake Ohrid, below, also suffers from this situation, as it depends on underground water flows from Prespa. In fact, it almost lost its Unesco World Heritage listing for this very reason. And yet, beyond its tourist appeal, Lake Ohrid is of crucial importance to the scientific community. As one of the three oldest lakes in the world, it is an unparalleled source of information, particularly for studying the theory of evolution.
Nature as a dumping ground
Waste is faced with a major lack of infrastructure for collection, storage and treatment. Nearly a quarter of the population receives no waste treatment services at all. It is estimated that the country has at least 200 unauthorized waste disposal sites. What's more, good habits are still slow to take root, so that throwing garbage out of your car window is still very much a part of everyday life.
Open-air garbage dumps, however, pollute the water table through rainwater run-off. Sometimes it's the air that suffers the same fate, when waste is set alight in an attempt to reduce the pile. While the waste collection system is still in its infancy, recycling is even more so. It is not yet organized on a national scale, although isolated initiatives do exist. The company in charge of waste management, Pakomak, has recently been trying to set up a system of self-service machines for the collection of plastic packaging and cans. To date, however, efforts remain too small to be significant.
European standards: from theory to practice
Skopje is regularly suffocated by a thick yellowish haze of pollution. According to the Swiss air quality analysis institute IQAir, in 2022, North Macedonia was the second most polluted country in Europe. Its concentration of fine particles is five times higher than the maximum WHO standards. The cause: exhaust fumes, an ageing industrial arsenal and oil-fired heating, which is still very common.
According to the World Bank, 1,100 deaths a year are attributed to poor air quality in this small country of barely 2 million inhabitants. It was also the fifth country in the world with the highest coronavirus mortality rate. For the experts, the link is obvious: if people die more easily from coronavirus in North Macedonia, it's because the air is too polluted, weakening the respiratory system.
Northern Macedonia, a candidate for membership of the European Union, has brought much of its legislation up to European standards. However, it still lacks the resources to enforce these new standards properly, with the result that many industrial companies are using energy-hungry, ageing equipment, or even prohibited fuels. For the time being, the government is looking for ways to enforce existing legislation. It is also making major efforts to introduce renewable energies. From just 2% of the country's energy consumption in the 1990s, they now account for 20%.
Unspoilt nature
Despite this, Macedonia's natural heritage is relatively well preserved. The country is 70% mountainous, inaccessible and sparsely urbanized. These landscapes are also protected by four national parks.
The largest of these is Mavrovo National Park. Its 730 km2 of spectacular mountain scenery is made up of the Šar, Korab and Bistra mountains. The whole area is irrigated by a highly complex hydrographic network, fed in particular by the Radika River. The national park boasts no fewer than seventeen glacial lakes, as well as numerous waterfalls, including the Korab waterfall, the highest in the Balkans.
Further south, Galičica National Park stretches across the Galičica Mountains. It covers the Prespa and Ohrid lakes, and is home to a particularly rich flora and fauna, including the critically endangered Balkan lynx(Lynx lynx balcanicus), the symbol of Northern Macedonia. Once abundant, it is estimated that only a few dozen individuals remain, mainly due to poaching. Macedonia and its national parks offer the last refuges, particularly important for the preservation of the subspecies.
Pelister National Park is the oldest in the country. It was created to protect another local species, this time a plant: the Macedonian pine(Pinus peuce). This conifer, a national symbol, is a rare sight, growing mainly between 1,000 and 2,200 m above sea level. Macedonia also boasts other magnificent forests, such as the Dlaboka Reka forest, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the heading of primary and ancient beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe, covering eighteen countries.
Last but not least, the Šar Mountains National Park will be created in 2021. It extends over 621 km2 along the Kosovar border. It boasts an array of alpine landscapes, high peaks and some thirty glacial lakes.
