Proposal to study economic and environmental benefits of reducing soil erosion in Albania

iii, 7 p.Soil erosion and associated nonpoint pollution are critical problems affecting the economic welfare, food security, and public health of Albania. Nearly 60 million tons of sediment are deposited by Albanian rivers into the Adriatic Sea each year. This translates into a national average soil erosion rate of 27.2 tons per hectare per year, which is more than twice the level of "tolerable" erosion established by many countries. This also means that an average of 2.3 mm of valuable topsoil are lost to the ocean each year. Accompanying the topsoil are agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers as well as industrial pollutants, which are transported to reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and the ocean, thereby causing a degradation in water quality. The objectives of the proposed study include: to quantify the magnitude of soil erosion and its effects on water quality at three levels of intensity: site-specific, watershed, and the nation as a whole; to identify high-risk areas for immediate soil erosion control using a geographic information system; to create a public awareness program that uses soil erosion control as an example of land protection in Albania; to monitor the effectiveness of soil erosion control on discharge of sediments into the Adriatic Sea using remote sensing; and to determine the economic benefits of soil erosion control

An insider's view on establishing an immovable property registration system in Albania

iii, 6 p.As will become clear in this article, the author's position shifts from pessimist to optimist as this writing progresses. The first section presents some of the difficulties that Albania is experiencing with respect to the immovable property registration system (IPRS) project (pessimist's position). The next section offers some of the advantages to be found in the Albanian system (optimist's position). The last section considers several plans used to deal with the problems; these programs are both tactical and strategic and, in my opinion, require careful coordination to resolve the difficulties encountered

Past and present land tenure systems in Albania : patrilineal, patriarchal, family-centered

iii, 31 p.This paper attempts to evaluate whether Albanian rural social structure has changed to the extent that individual rights and protection of those rights have become important policy questions. If the evaluation suggests that rural Albanians retain the set of family-oriented norms and beliefs that are based primarily on patriarchalism and patrilineal inheritance, we must address the following questions: How appropriate is the mixture of western law that emulates individualistic notions of property rights with the customary family-tenure system of rural Albania? What are the likely problems that could emerge during the transition given a potential conflict between family notions of ownership and individual notions of ownership? This paper discusses five broad issues: the contemporary importance of family ownership, the role of the patriarch, the contemporary inheritance procedures, the vulnerability of specific groups of women, and the structure of the Albanian family

Preparation of action plan for protection of land in Albania

iii, 24 p.The degradation of Albania's land resources is a serious impediment to the welfare of the people of Albania as well as that of future generations. Resolving land degradation requires the concerted action of governmental and nongovernmental agencies. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a Land Protection Action Plan could be developed. There are three general types of land degradation which this Land Protection Action Plan would attempt to solve: excessive soil erosion, contamination of surface and ground water, and unguided urbanization on high-quality agricultural land. The paper goes on to describe the steps to be taken to prepare the action plan, including documenting problems, identifying high-risk areas, identifying and carrying out needed research, designing educational programs, reviewing and preparing legislation, developing an investment program for land protection, and monitoring the evolution of different types of land degradation. The paper also describes the implementation of such an action plan

Agricultural land protection policy for Albania : lessons from Western Europe, North America and Japan

iii, 24 p.This report has been prepared as one effort to assist the Albanian government in formulating a policy approach appropriate to the conditions and culture of their country. The goal of this report is to examine the approach to agricultural land protection in other parts of the world, for the lessons they can provide to Albania. There is little recent literature on the subject of agricultural land protection policies. Most of the articles found in the English-language literature are six to ten years old, and in turn often rely on other sources that are several years older still. Thus, this survey should be viewed as a somewhat dated catalog of policy approaches which have been used at various times in the respective jurisdictions rather than as a statement of the current policy structure of a particular jurisdiction

Albanian immovable property registration system : review of legislation

iii, 25 p., Annex A. Law on the Registration of Immovable Property.The registration system of immovable property in Albania was chosen for four basic reasons: (1) it protects the right of immovable property owners by providing strong and reliable evidence about ownership and other interests in immovable properties; (2) it is simple and inexpensive to administer and maintain; (3) it provides the public with easily accessible information which they need to buy and sell, mortgage, and rent immovable property, thereby providing the basis for a market-oriented economy; and, (4) it permits the building of a Geographical Information System with property information as an integral and fundamental segment. The registration system is similar in concept to what is used in Nordic countries, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, the United Kingdom, and the northern provinces of Italy. It is different from other European countries in that it is expressly "property" or "parcel" based and not simply a recording of transactions. It is an improvement over both types of European systems in that it combines property mapping with the recording of legal rights into a single administrative system. This paper describes Republic of Albania's Law on the Registration of Immovable Property and includes a copy of the law as an annex

Property registration in Albania : an information management issue

iv, 8 p.This paper presents the plans being made in Albania to establish an immovable property registration system in the most efficient way. It considers not only technically modern equipment and computer-related problems but also social and economic feasibility. In Albania, the immovable property registration system is necessary in order to face successfully the new conditions of the free market-oriented economy. For about 50 years, property ownership in Albania was restricted to the State. The 1991 land reform in Albania advanced quickly, and at present over 90 percent of agricultural land is distributed to farmers, though in highly fragmented holdings (totaling an average area average of 2 hectares), creating about 1.8 million new parcels registered in the cadastral district offices. In urban areas, housing privatization was also completed quickly, creating about 300,000 new properties in cities, which are being registered in the Hipoteka (deed registry) district offices. Although market transactions in agriculture land are not yet allowed (though enabling legislation is expected to be passed soon), many land transactions have taken place. The housing market is already very active. Conflicts exist, especially in urban areas, between ex-owners of the land and buildings, and the state or present occupants. Therefore, it is highly desirable to establish a property registration system in Albania quickly and yet with careful planning. This paper presents the registration information system model

Albanian Law on City Planning : critical summary of its major provisions

iv, 8, 20 p.This paper includes, as an annex, Law No. 7693, "On Urban Planning," from the People's Assembly of the Republic of Albania. Conceptually, this law has five major parts: (1) planning generally, (2) getting construction permission, (3) special provisions for tourist zones, (4) special provisions for military zones and zones with singular (that is, archaeological, historical, or cultural) value, and (5) penalties for violations. These parts are described and discussed.Partial contents: Law No. 7693 "On Urban Planning" / Republic of Albania, People's Assembly

Aerial photography and parcel mapping for immovable property registration in Albania

iii, 10 p.Planimetric map production is a basic graphic documentation element of the Immovable Property Registration System in Albania and is one of the main objectives of the Land Market Action Plan. This paper focuses on the implementation of photogrammetry program mapping of index maps for the registration system being developed for Albania. Photogrammetric work occupies an important place among the well-known methods of mapping. Methods for various types of map production based on aerial information are being developed. Analytical photogrammetry is completed theoretically, on an advanced technological base and with hands-on experience in all phases. At present, photogrammetry and remote sensing is changing from analog to digital, from aerial to space-based imaging/mapping, from local to global concepts, and from manually managed to computerized information systems such as the geographic information system. It is not always possible for technology to change from the old to the new. This depends on economic and financial possibilities, on existing technological bases, and, more importantly, on efficiency of the new technology to resolve the problem. In a lot of cases, analogical equipment has been adapted using various types of alterations in order to process as much information as possible and gradually to pass on to higher levels of technology. This paper examines the way aerial photography has been used for surveying in Albania

Albanian Land Market Action Plan : purposes, achievements, lessons

iii, 32 p.The transition in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States from command to market-oriented economies requires new land market institutions and policies. Once privatization of land has moved far enough to permit and stimulate demand for market transactions, the question becomes one of establishing dynamic land markets (i.e., a growing volume of transactions) that also "work properly." Concerning the transition in the ownership and management of real property and the resultant efforts to create new land market institutions, the experience of Albania is instructive, and this paper outlines the establishment of an Albanian land market strategy. In the discussion of a market-oriented economy in Albania, the question was how to create the land market component of the transition following privatization of land. Four market characteristics were identified as goals: (1) the land market should be dynamic, that is, there should be numerous transactions; (2) acquisition of land through these transactions should be by people who make productive investments; (3) all sectors of the population should participate in the market as buyers and sellers of land rights; and (4) people's investments in land through these market transactions should result in sustainable uses of land so as to assure the environmental rights of future generations. This paper presents the effort to address these goals through the Land Market Action Plan, prepared by Albanian government with the assistance of the Land Tenure Center