Albania - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

Despite the relatively small size of Albania, the country is well known for its high diversity of ecosystems and habitats. Its territory is comprised of maritime ecosystems, coastal zones, lakes, rivers, evergreen and broadleaf bushes, broadleaf forests, pine forests, alpine and sub-alpine pastures and meadows, and high mountain ecosystems... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

Current pressures on biodiversity are varied. Climate change impacts on biodiversity have been identified, especially in the country’s coastal area. Major climatic events have led to excessive flooding of large areas and erosion along the coastline. Other main threats are infrastructure development, uncontrolled land use, urbanization, tourism, deforestation, hunting, fishing, soil erosion, petroleum and mining exploitation, invasive alien species, and water pollution resulting from excessive nutrient load and a lack of sewage treatment and coastal and surface water management... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

The Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan approved by the Council of Ministers in 2000 is the main document on biodiversity for the 2000-2015 period. The Strategy defines the main directions for preserving biodiversity and habitats, through their identification and proclamation as protected areas, and through the protection of species inside and outside protected areas... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Significant progress has been accomplished in protecting biodiversity over the last 10 years through the implementation and enforcement of institutional and legislative frameworks. Noteworthy developments include the establishment of the Ministry of Environment and relevant institutions (and their enactment of environmental legislation), accession to the MEAs, increased public awareness-raising activities... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

Biodiversity and conservation issues are sufficiently presented in the 2007 National Environment Strategy, but remain largely under-represented in other strategic sectoral documents. The National Environment Strategy considers biodiversity a priority area, namely, the increase of protected areas coverage; elaboration of management plans and their implementation; completion of a legal framework aligned with the EU acquis for nature and environment; elimination of illegal logging and hunting by means of enhanced enforcement of the legal framework and capacity building activities; implementation of action plans for threatened species and habitats and NBSAP updating... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

The current status of biodiversity monitoring in Albania is rather incomplete and fragmented. One of the most important missions of the Albanian Agency of Environment and Forest, established in 2006, is to gather data from environmental monitoring, including biodiversity monitoring, to process and assess the data and report findings at the national and international levels... More »