For the third time, UNESCO has warned that the Ohrid region is at risk from illegal constructions, urbanization, and inadequate planning. Both North Macedonia and Albania are being urged to take urgent action to preserve this natural and cultural treasure, so it does not end up on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list.
In its latest report, UNESCO’s reactive mission once again emphasized the urgent need for authorities in North Macedonia to take concrete and decisive steps to protect the unique natural and cultural assets of Ohrid.
This is UNESCO’s third report warning that inappropriate interventions, urbanization, inadequate spatial planning, and infrastructure projects are causing irreparable damage to the Ohrid region, which could lose its outstanding universal value in the short or medium term.
In the face of serious threats, Ohrid remains under continuous monitoring by the United Nations, which this time again warned that the Ohrid region could be added to the World Heritage in Danger list.
In October of this year, Radio Free Europe (RFE) published an article where environmentalists and locals reported that water from septic tanks, toilets, farms, and landfills, as well as from dozens of restaurants, hotels, and private residences not connected to the sewage system, is seeping into Lake Ohrid.
In a response to RFE, UNESCO emphasized that it is closely monitoring the situation in Ohrid, and that in July 2025, it will decide once again whether the city will be added to the World Heritage in Danger list.
In its new report, UNESCO calls for a review of urban planning in Ohrid and Struga, an urgent halt to construction in the Studenchishte Wetland, and a solution to the problem of illegal constructions that damage the authentic character of the region.
“The state, over the past year, not only failed to implement any of UNESCO’s 15 recommendations, but the situation has worsened in four of them,” said the civil organization “Front 21/42,” which has been monitoring the situation in the Ohrid region for ten years.
Radio Free Europe requested a response from the local authorities in Ohrid, but by the time this article was published, there was no comment regarding UNESCO’s new report or the reactions of local civil organizations calling for the urgent implementation of recommendations, including halting illegal construction.
Based on data from the Municipality of Ohrid, which RFE obtained earlier, inspectors have recorded 120 illegal constructions from January 1, 2020, to September 2024. Meanwhile, from July 2006 onward, the municipality has recorded 869 illegal constructions.
Additionally, within the territory of Ohrid Municipality, 15,939 requests have been submitted to determine the legal status of 19,935 illegally built structures, of which 416 are located along the shores of Lake Ohrid and 2,347 in the territory of the Galicica National Park, according to a document from the Municipality of Ohrid.
These requests were submitted after the adoption of the 2011 Law on Legalization of Illegal Constructions, which allowed for the legalization of constructions built before that year (2011).
However, the “Front 21/42” organization is sounding the alarm over new illegal constructions in the territory of the Studenchishte Wetland in Ohrid, which is under temporary protection.
“Our latest case clearly illustrates the destruction of values due to the failure to implement and violations of laws by the institutions whose primary responsibility is to enforce them. The country’s sole natural and cultural heritage is being destroyed by corruption and organized crime and is the victim of the lack of rule of law,” said the “Front 21/42” organization.
Activists in this case have submitted initiatives for inspection oversight to several relevant institutions, but say that despite six months of communication with state and local inspectors, no effective measures have been taken.
“Due to their inaction, an urban complex has been developed within the wetland, further degrading this key area for the biodiversity of Lake Ohrid,” said the organization.
Measures from Albania
Responsibility for the Ohrid Region does not fall solely on North Macedonia. Albania also has obligations, as part of Lake Ohrid located within its territory has been under protection since 2019.
Albania is required, among other things, to revise the General Plan of Pogradec, prevent urban development along the coastline, and protect the sensitive area of Drilon.
“It is essential that both countries develop a strategic environmental assessment that will analyze the cumulative effects of developmental activities,” UNESCO stressed, adding that dialogue between North Macedonia and Albania should be intensified—from the highest institutional level down to the operational level—to ensure successful implementation of the recommendations.
By February 1, 2025, both countries are required to submit a joint report on the progress and measures taken to protect the region.
“An urgent mobilization is necessary to preserve the outstanding universal value of the Ohrid region. Inclusion on the World Heritage in Danger list remains an option if the necessary measures are not taken,” UNESCO warns.
Ohrid, a symbol of rich history and natural beauty, faces a challenge that requires joint efforts from both countries and determination to preserve its heritage for future generations.
The implementation of recommendations for the threats to Lake Ohrid and the Galicica National Park is also under review by the Bern Convention Committee.
