Mass and uncontrolled urbanization is gradually changing the face of Ohrid and Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia, which have been under UNESCO protection for nearly 5 decades. In 1979, the UNESCO planet Heritage Committee inscribed Lake Ohrid on the list of natural heritage, and already the following year, in 1980, Ohrid was besides listed as cultural heritage. The Ohrid region is 1 of only 39 mixed sites in the planet protected by UNESCO as both cultural and natural heritage. However, in fresh years the region has been facing a serious challenge of being placed on the List of planet Heritage in Danger, precisely due to urban degradation, as well as a number of another problems.
“I inactive believe that the process of de-urbanization and de-appropriation of the Lake Ohrid shoreline should begin. Everything that has been usurped should be returned, and urbanization as a process should be moved distant from the city centre. Without these 2 elements – de-urbanization and de-appropriation – we cannot accomplish more serious progress, and this will be noted in UNESCO missions,” says Dejan Panoski, founder of the Day of Lake Ohrid, an initiative which aims to rise awareness for the protection of the lake’s unique, ancient ecosystem.
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