Assessing the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Watershed of the Middle Section of Devoll River

The watershed of the middle section of the Devoll River is located in SE Albania. Due to its complex topography, geomorphology and climate conditions, this area is very rich regarding to higher plant species diversity. More than 30% of Albanian flora is recorded there. Based on field investigation and in interviewing the companies that make plant collection in this area, we aim to give data on the actual flora richness of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), their economic value as well as their threats. As result, 158 species or about 14% of the flora of this basin are MAP, of which 95% are wild and 5% are cultivated. These species belong to 132 genera and 57 families, and represent about 44% of medicinal and aromatic plants of Albania. The most of MAP species belong to family Lamiaceae (18 species). The life forms spectrum indicates that there are 54 hemicryptophyta, which make the larger life form in the area; meanwhile the chorological spectrum indicates that most of the species have a Eurasian distribution, with around 24%. The month with the greatest number of MAP species in flowering is June, 110 species. About 45 species that represent only 28% of all MAP of this area are collected in the wild. The MAP are exported, by local companies, mostly in USA and Germany, and from them are generated about 546 000 $ per year. More than 50% of this value comes from exportation of Lavandula angustifolia Mill., which is cultivated, and from other wild MAP such are Primula veris L., Juniperus communis L., Juniperus oxycedrus L., Satureja montana L., Malus pumila Mill, Origanum vulgare L., Cistus incanus L., Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. etc. Not controlled and standardized collection such is harvesting method, is the main threat of MAP, which on the other side is reflected in biodiversity loss and economic profit

Trophic state of Albanian water ecosystem based on phytoplakton photo-synthetic pigments

EnData on the trophic state of some Albanian water bodies (the Adriatic lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain,Patog,Karavasta and Narta,and the ecosystem of Ohrid-Prespa)are resented.Evaluation of trophic state is based on chlorophyll acontent in water and distribution of photosynthetic pigments,monitored from March to October.The lagoons of the Adriatic coast have different trophic states.The lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain and Patok are oligotrophic,but the Karavasta and Narta lagoons are characterized by a higher trophic state,estimated as mesotrophic.Lake Ohrid is oligotrophic,whereas Lake Prespa is mesotrophic.Vertical profiles of Chl a content demonstrated different distribution in the Ohrid and Prespa lakes

General considerations on the flora and vegetation of Albania's rivers

EnThe studied region is characterised by its rich flora,vegetation,and diversity of habitats,from constantly submerged areas,moving on to areas subject to tidal movements,and ending in areas that are always above water level.In many cases the relations between these various types of habitat are of great ecological importance.All of these areas are specific to the area ’s rivers and cannot be found anywhere else.The relatively modest density of the vegetation is due to human pressure exerted on the area:cementing,building embankments,and poplar fields have greatly changed the original landscape.Where human influence has been reduced,thickets of common reed (Phragmites australis)can often be found,as well as populations of floating species such as the duckweed (of the Lemna species),the giant duckweed (Salvinia natans)and the water chestnut (Trapa natans).On the edges,in other words in transitional areas between aquatic and terrestrial habitats,there are varieties of sedge (Carex elata,C.riparia)water lilies (Iris pseudoacorus),purple-loosestrifes (Lythrum salicaria),and sometimes summer snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum).Mesophyte woods,characterised less by Mediterranean and more by continental features,grow in less protruding areas, where conditions are cooler and more humid.The dominant species of these woods are:Alnus glutinosa,Fraxinus angustifolia,the bay-oak (Quercus robur)and the elm (Ulmus minor).In the low areas close to the water table,and in the floodplains not given over to the growing of poplars,there are small hygrophilous woods whose main species are the willow (Salix alba)and the white poplar (Populus alba)

The Vegetation of the Buna River Protected Landscape (Albania)

AbstractThe vegetation of Buna River Protected Landscape is described. The area comprises both the alluvial plain of the lower course of the Buna river that marks the boundary between Montenegro and Albania, and a carbonatic range. The vegetation is characterized by a high β-diversity (27 alliances and 46 associations), especially in wetlands and dry grasslands. In the area it is possible to distinguish 1 dunal and 4 hygro-sequences in the alluvial plain and 3 xeroseries in the carbonatic range. Associations Clematido viticellae-Punicetum granati and Periploco graecae-Alnetum glutinosae are described as new

Assessing the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Watershed of the Middle Section of Devoll River

The watershed of the middle section of the Devoll River is located in SE Albania. Due to its complex topography, geomorphology and climate conditions, this area is very rich regarding to higher plant species diversity. More than 30% of Albanian flora is recorded there. Based on field investigation and in interviewing the companies that make plant collection in this area, we aim to give data on the actual flora richness of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), their economic value as well as their threats. As result, 158 species or about 14% of the flora of this basin are MAP, of which 95% are wild and 5% are cultivated. These species belong to 132 genera and 57 families, and represent about 44% of medicinal and aromatic plants of Albania. The most of MAP species belong to family Lamiaceae (18 species). The life forms spectrum indicates that there are 54 hemicryptophyta, which make the larger life form in the area; meanwhile the chorological spectrum indicates that most of the species have a Eurasian distribution, with around 24%. The month with the greatest number of MAP species in flowering is June, 110 species. About 45 species that represent only 28% of all MAP of this area are collected in the wild. The MAP are exported, by local companies, mostly in USA and Germany, and from them are generated about 546 000 $ per year. More than 50% of this value comes from exportation of Lavandula angustifolia Mill., which is cultivated, and from other wild MAP such are Primula veris L., Juniperus communis L., Juniperus oxycedrus L., Satureja montana L., Malus pumila Mill, Origanum vulgare L., Cistus incanus L., Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. etc. Not controlled and standardized collection such is harvesting method, is the main threat of MAP, which on the other side is reflected in biodiversity loss and economic profit

Identifying Natura 2000 habitats in the watershed of the middle section of the Devoll river (Southeast Albania)

The watershed of the middle section of the Devoll River is located between the districts of Korçë, Pogradec, and Gramsh. The geographical location of this area, complex topography, climate characteristics, diff erent rock substrates and soil types as well as hydrological conditions, contribute to a rich flora and diversity of natural habitats. Our main goal was the identifi cation and mapping of Natura 2000 habitat types within the study area, based on mainly their typical plant species. Th e mapping was carried out during the period 2016–2018. The most representative habitats in the area are: (sub-)Mediterranean pine forests with endemic black pines (9530), Pannonian–Balkanic turkey oak–sessile oak forests (91M0), Quercus trojana woods (9250), and Quercus ilex and Quercus rotundifolia forests (9340)

Vegetation database of Albania

Although Albania’s territory is small, its natural heritage is characterized by a high diversity of ecosystems and habitats and a considerable species richness. This diversity is attributable to the country’s geographic position (at the interface of three important regions: the Balkans, the Mediterranean region and southern continental Europe), as well as geological, hydrological, climatic, soil diversity, and a large altitudinal range. The study of the vegetation of Albania begun, apart from a few pioneer works, in the late 1980s. However, only recently Albanian authors adopted the Zurich-Montpellier method. In the frame of a IUCN project (2012–2014) the study of vegetation of two Albanian Protected Areas (PAs) has been carried out. These PAs were the Buna River Protected Landscape (BRPL) and the Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park (SJNP). We conducted an intensive field campaign (532 phytosociological relevés) to investigate all the vegetation communities present in the PAs. Here the resulting Vegetation Database of Albania (GIVD ID: EU-AL-001) is presented. The BRPL (20.000 ha) comprises both the alluvial plain of the lower course of the Buna river which marks the boundary between Montenegro and Albania, a carbonatic range and a narrow dune system along the Adriatic sea. Between 1947 and 1980 about 36 km2 of agricultural lands were reclaimed, at the expense of wetlands. Despite these changes the vegetation is characterized by a high β-diversity (27 alliances and 46 associations), especially in wetlands and dry grasslands. The SJNP (33.928 ha) is located along the border with Macedonia. The biodiversity of the SJNP is a complex and dynamic result of several factors: the wide altitudinal range (roughly 300–2200 m a.s.l.), and the land use that, combined with large gradients of geological (conglomerate and sandstone- limestone-ultramaphic rocks) topographical and climatic diversity, have determined a high diversity of vegetation communities. In 2016 a new Italian development cooperation between IUCN and the Italian Botanical Society aimed at several objectives and activities among which the vegetation investigation of another five PAs in Albania, and the preparation of a preliminary list of Natura 2000 sites for the whole country, has started. A new field campaign has already been carried out, so that this database will soon host relevés from all over the country