THE SOILS

The soils of Lake Prespa can be distinguished according to their degre e of development, drainage condition, texture, content of coarse fragm ents, topography, degree of erosion and the presence of impermeable la yers. A generalized land evaluation was carried out according to which land suitability was assessed for major uses including arable farming , pasture, forestry, wildlife, and recreation and tourism development. Furthermore, the soils were classified in different groups for enviro nmental protection by means of both the protection of areas with high ecological value against any agricultural activity and the delineation of the lands susceptible to degradation such as soil erosion, through intensive arable farming, and groundwater contamination, through inte nsive irrigation and the application of high amounts of fertilizers an d pesticides.