Building activities within protected areas are often unfriendly and unsustainable to wetland conservation – Albanian case

ItPare che il settore edile e l'(over)uso delle risorse naturali continuino ad essere la priorità in Albania al giorno d'oggi. Dopo il grave danneggiamento delle foreste (fino alla moratoria in vigore), altamente urbanizzata la zona costiera, l'energia idroelettrica (HPPs) sembra essere l'ultima risorsa non realmente utilizzata in tutte le sue capacità. I corsi fluviali, in pristine e not contaminate aree, e anche all'interno delle aree protette (PAs) sono l'ultimo traguardo, sotto lo slogan di energia 'rinnovabile', 'verde' o 'pulita'. Inoltre, non è una scelta del tutto saggia continuare con altri progetti di costruzione lungo la zona costiera, in particolare nella costa Adriatica (Velipoja, Patoku, Shen Pjetri, Golemi, Divjaka, Narta, ecc.), tra l'altro molte delle quali già protette! In effetti, queste aree remote ed incontaminate, incluse le PAs, sono di proprietà publica; costruire lì sembra non difficile, basta pagare alcune modeste commissioni per passare le procedure burocratiche! In questo senso le nostre risorse naturali sono in un certo senso 'orfane', ogni giorno esposti al rischio! Durante il periodo 2005-2017 il Ministero dell'Energia e dell'Industria (MEI) ha dato il permesso di costruire all'incirca 500-550 HPPs (circa 18 HPPs/1000 km2 !!!), piccoli e grandi, sparsi ovunque, con una capacità di generazione totale di circa 2,200 MW. Alcuni sono già costruiti; gli altri sono in costruzione o programmati per essere nel prossimo futuro. Considerare i nostri urgenti bisogni di energia, questo non sarebbe affatto male; in pochi anni l'Albania potrà essere davvero una superpotenza per l'energia idroelettrica. Ma circa 80-90 HPPs sono pianificati all'interno delle PAs o potenziali PAs, mettendo in pericolo i valori naturali, una delle caratteristiche più forti che ha già ereditato dal suo difficile passato. Naturalmente la costruzione all'interno delle PAs non può essere considerata amichevole con la natura, quindi, in linea di principio, non può essere sostenibile. Perché si proteggono allora le PAs? Da quale attività dannosa, se non dalle attività di costruzione fatte dall'uomo? La maggior parte degli HPPs sono di piccola grandezza, solo 44 possono essere considerati importanti (con più di 10 MW);Pare che il settore edile e l'(over)uso delle risorse naturali continuino ad essere la priorità in Albania al giorno d'oggi. Dopo il grave danneggiamento delle foreste (fino alla moratoria in vigore), altamente urbanizzata la zona costiera, l'energia idroelettrica (HPPs) sembra essere l'ultima risorsa non realmente utilizzata in tutte le sue capacità. I corsi fluviali, in pristine e not contaminate aree, e anche all'interno delle aree protette (PAs) sono l'ultimo traguardo, sotto lo slogan di energia 'rinnovabile', 'verde' o 'pulita'. Inoltre, non è una scelta del tutto saggia continuare con altri progetti di costruzione lungo la zona costiera, in particolare nella costa Adriatica (Velipoja, Patoku, Shen Pjetri, Golemi, Divjaka, Narta, ecc.), tra l'altro molte delle quali già protette! In effetti, queste aree remote ed incontaminate, incluse le PAs, sono di proprietà publica; costruire lì sembra non difficile, basta pagare alcune modeste commissioni per passare le procedure burocratiche! In questo senso le nostre risorse naturali sono in un certo senso 'orfane', ogni giorno esposti al rischio! Durante il periodo 2005-2017 il Ministero dell'Energia e dell'Industria (MEI) ha dato il permesso di costruire all'incirca 500-550 HPPs (circa 18 HPPs/1000 km2 !!!), piccoli e grandi, sparsi ovunque, con una capacità di generazione totale di circa 2,200 MW. Alcuni sono già costruiti; gli altri sono in costruzione o programmati per essere nel prossimo futuro. Considerare i nostri urgenti bisogni di energia, questo non sarebbe affatto male; in pochi anni l'Albania potrà essere davvero una superpotenza per l'energia idroelettrica. Ma circa 80-90 HPPs sono pianificati all'interno delle PAs o potenziali PAs, mettendo in pericolo i valori naturali, una delle caratteristiche più forti che ha già ereditato dal suo difficile passato. Naturalmente la costruzione all'interno delle PAs non può essere considerata amichevole con la natura, quindi, in linea di principio, non può essere sostenibile. Perché si proteggono allora le PAs? Da quale attività dannosa, se non dalle attività di costruzione fatte dall'uomo? La maggior parte degli HPPs sono di piccola grandezza, solo 44 possono essere considerati importanti (con più di 10 MW); tra questi, circa 17 progetti sono all'interno di PAs (Valbona, Curraj, Shala, Qarrishta), o potenziali PAs (Kalivaçi & Poçemi in Vjosa). Tale lista di 17 HPPs non potrebbe essere una "lista verde", ma una "lista rossa", una lista "not-go" per il governo albanese; la rispettiva capacità totale sarebbe di circa 535 MW, pari a circa il 24-25% della capacità di generazione totale pianificata. Possiamo salvarlo, al fine di conservare almeno una parte dei nostri valori naturali! Questo è il prezzo che la nostra società oggi deve pagare per la sostenibilità - bilanciare in armonia i bisogni sociali, economici e ambientali. Lo sviluppo sostenibile è un eccellente principio, abbastanza utile al giorno d'oggi, ma non senza costo. Se lo accettiamo tutti, dall'UE fino all'Albania (articolo 59 della Costituzione), dobbiamo tutti pensarci su, per trovare altre risorse energetiche (cioè energia solare, eolica, gas- o bio-, ecc.). O se no! Limitare l'uso (cioè ridurre l'uso improprio di energia), per soddisfare il dovuto principio! Tutto cio sarebbe strettamente legato alla nostra responsabilità di conservare, mantenere e ripristinare le nostre risorse naturali, non solo per noi oggi, ma anche per le generazioni future. In relazione alla fascia verde sulle dune costiere e le delte fluviali, in particolare le pinete sulle dune e le foreste alluvionale e miste ripariale, tutti sono ecosistemi sensibili e fragili. D'altra parte, le dune costiere sono piuttosto importanti; situati tra la terra e il mare, aiutano a stabilizzare la costa, mitigano l'impatto del mare sulla costa e viceversa, conservando anche la qualità dell'acqua e della sabbia. Spesso tali habitat sono particolarmente protetti, rappresentando inoltre anche un paesaggio ancora più attraente, con alti valori turistici e recreativi. Si consiglia vivamente di rivedere la pianificazione dell'area costiera, per salvare dall'urbanizzazione ciò che è stata rimasta, in particolare le zone all'interno delle PAs. Ecco perché il mondo accademico e gli ambientalisti contrastano tali decisioni sbagliate! No perchè appartengano alle persone "pazze" a cui piacerebe vivere circondati solo da una natura vergine, e accettare la povertà, ma forse appartengono alla più istruita parte della società che ha già alcune idee migliori sullo sviluppo. Ma la loro voce e resistenza purtroppo è ancora troppo debole! Anche la sensibilità pubblica e il movimento civile sono troppo deboli (proprio alla causa della caratteristica "orfana" dell'ambiente!); inoltre, spesso sono facilmente manipolati quando il governo, le ditte di costruzione o gli studi di esperti devono ottenere l'approvazione, anche nei casi più pazzi e non amichevoli dell'uso delle risorse naturali. Cercare lo sviluppo economico in settori diversi sarebbe più sostenibile; accanto a HPPs, edilizia urbana e costiera, le cave e estrazione fluviale, ci si consiglia di fare sforzi anche per un'agricoltura moderna (compresa la coltivazione di piante industriali, silvicoltura, acquacoltura e ripopolamento ittico), industria alimentare e di elaborazzione, artigianato, turismo sostenibile, ecc. Naturalmente, tutto cio porterebbe creare più occupazione, ma allevierebbe anche il pesante carico che l'ambiente e le risorse naturali detengono oggi nell'economia albanese.EnIt seems that the construction sector and the (over) use of natural resources continue to be the priority in Albanian development nowadays. After badly damaged the forests (up to the moratorium in vigor), highly urbanized the coastal area, hydropower (HPPs) seems to be the last resource, not really used in its all capacity. River courses, in very pristine areas and also within protected areas (PAs) are the last target, under the slogan of 'green', 'renewable' or 'clean' energy. Other construction projects along coastal area are not at all wise, too, especially in the Adriatic (Velipoja, Patoku, Shen Pjetri, Golemi, Divjaka, Narta, etc.), most of them already PAs! As matter of the fact, such remote pristine areas and also PAs are public property; it seams that building there is almost costless, only some modest fees to pass the bureaucratic procedures are needed! In that sense our natural resources are 'orphan', free exposed to risks every day! During yrs. 2005-2017 the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MEI) gave permissions to build up to 500-550 HPPs (about 18 HPPs/1000 km2!!!), small and big ones, sparse everywhere, with the total generation capacity about 2,200 MW. Some are already constructed; the others are under construction or planned to be in the near future. Considered from our strong needs for energy it is not bad; it will in few years Albania to be really a superpower in hydro-energy. But about 80-90 HPPs are planned within the PAs or potential PAs, endangering our natural values, one of the strongest features inherited from its difficult past. Of course building within the PAs cannot be considered friendly with nature, hence, cannot be sustainable in principle. Why the PAs are protected? From what harmful events, if not from construction activities man made? Most of HPPs are small, only 44 can be considered important (with more than 10 MW); among this list, about 17 projects are planned within PAs (Valbona, Curraj, Shala, Qarrishta rivers), or potential PAs (Kalivaçi & Poçemi in Vjosa). Such list of 17 HPPs cannot be a 'green list', but a 'red list', a 'no-go' list for Albanian government; the total installing capacity of this 'no-go' list is about 535 MW, or about 24-25% of the planned total generation capacity. We can save it, in order to conserve at least some part of our natural values! This is the price our society has to pay for sustainability - successfully balance social, economic, and environmental needs. Sustainable development is a very good principle, often mentioned nowadays, but it is not without costs. If we all accept it, from the EU up to Albania (article 59 of the Constitution), we have all to think about it, to find other energy resources (i.e. solar, wind, gas or bio energy, etc.). Or if not! Restrict the use (i.e. reduce energy misuse), to fulfil the principle! It is closely linked to our responsibility to conserve, maintain and restore our natural resources, not only for us now, but even for the future generations. Related with the coastal dunes and river deltas, in particular the Mediterranean coniferous forest belt and the Mediterranean alluvial and mixed riparian forests, all are sensitive, fragile ecosystems. On the other hand, coastal dunes are quite vital to the coast; situated in between the land and the sea, they help to stabilize the coastline, mitigate the impact of the sea on the coast and vice versa, conserving also the quality of the water and of the sand. Often such habitats are specially protected, representing even a more attractive landscape, with high tourist and recreational values, too. It is strongly advised to review the coastal spatial planning, to save what is still safe from the urbanization, especially the zones within the PAs. That's why the academic world and environmentalists contrast such wrong decision-makings! Not that they belong to the 'crazy' people who like to have virgin nature around, and accept the poverty, but perhaps they belong to the most educated part of society that have already some better ideas of development. But their voice and resistance unfortunately is still too weak! Also the public awareness and civil movement is also too weak (due to the 'orphan' feature of the environment!), and often easy manipulated when government, construction companies or expert studios need to get approval, even in such crazy and not friendly use of the natural resources. Economic development across the whole sectors would be more sustainable, beside HPPs, urban and coastal construction, quarry and river mining, but also efforts to a modern agriculture (including industrial plant cultivation, forestry, aquaculture and fish restocking), food and processing industry, manufacturing, sustainable tourism, etc. It would bring more employment, but it will also alleviate the heavy burden that the natural environment and natural resources holds today in the Albanian economy

The environmental state of important aquatic habitats in Albania based on algal assesment, a review

EnAlbania is rich in aquatic resources with high natural and biological values.Nevertheless,the waters still continue to be endangered,especially in western Adriatic Lowland areas.The structure of microscopic algae may give a better idea of water quality than traditional indicators.Systematic control of water quality will help to develop new strategies of wastewater management.It will allow Albania to reach international standards in environmental protection

Changes in the diatom community structure and impact on water quality from 2005-2017 - Great Lake (Lurë National Park, Albania)

Great Lake is the largest of the 6 lakes situated in the eastern part of Lura Mountain in the Lurë National Park. Samples were collected in July 2005, June and August 2013 and August 2017. In 2005 and August 2013 epiphytic samples were collected from one locality, while in Jun 2013 was collected epilithic sample. However, in August 2017 no macrophytes were found which caused the collection of epilithic samples from 6 localities (LM1-LM6) around the lake with the aim of establishing ecological status. After laboratory analysis 52 taxa were identified in July 2005, 67 in June 2013 and 111 in August 2013. In August 2017 the number of identified taxa was higher, in total 126 taxa. Dominant taxa in July 2005 were Achnanthidium minutissimum (13.01%), Diatoma vulgaris (13.84%) and Meridion circulare (11.76%). A. minutissimum was also dominant in 2013 (22.26% in June and 21.48% in August). In 2017, dominant taxa differed among localities: LM1 Cyclotella cretica var. cyclopuncta (29.38%), LM2 and LM3 Encyonopsis microcephala (21% at both sites), LM4 Cyclotella cretica var. cyclopuncta (17.41%) and Encyonopsis krammeri (18.91%), LM5 and LM6 A. minutisimum (27.79% and 30.47%, respectively). The genera Diatoma, Epithemia, Fragilaria and Surirella were not recorded in 2017, contrary to previous years. The ecological status of the Great Lake was assessed by using diatom indices. Most European countries have established lake assessment systems based on diatoms. However, the Albanian National Monitoring System does not include biological parameters and therefore no officially accepted diatom index is in place. We compared the values of IPS (Indice de Polluo-sensibilité) and TDIL (Trophic Diatom Index for lakes) indices using boundary values given by the authors. Values of IPS index indicated very good water quality in all years at all sites, while the TDIL indicated moderate water quality in 2005 and 2013 and good water quality in 2017. The reason for this deviation probably is the low relative abundance of indicator species used to calculate TDIL index. The TDIL was developed 2007 in Hungary, and it includes significantly fewer indicator taxa than the IPS. More comprehensive ecological investigations of lakes in Albania are necessary to be able to fulfill the demands of the Water Framework Directive.7th Balkan Botanical Congress, Book of abstracts, Novi Sad, Serbia, 10-14 September 201

Limnological study on a newly built drinking water reservoir near Tirana, Albania

Bovilla Lake is a reservoir constructed 12years ago for supplying the city of Tirana (Albania) mainly with drinking water. It has a surface area of 4.6km2, a maximum depth of originally 60m and is monomictic with a stratification period from early spring to end of October. The lake is oligotrophic with low nutrient concentrations (e.g. SRP in spring about 8μgL − 1) and minor oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion during thermal stagnation. The lake is highly turbid due to severe particle import by several rivers during rain periods. This led to a massive deposition of sediments, lifting the maximum depth to 45m in 2008. Furthermore, the photic zone reached hardly more than 10m. Algal species diversity is high; however, diatoms from the genus Cyclotella dominate most of the year both in numbers and biomass. Our study describes for the first time the hydrography and limnology of the Bovilla Reservoi

The Vjosa River corridor: a model of natural hydro-morphodynamics and a hotspot of highly threatened ecosystems of European significance

Context: Large near-natural rivers have become rare in Europe, a fact reflected in the high conservation status of many riverine ecosystems. While the Balkan still harbors several intact river corridors, most of these are under pressure from planned hydropower constructions. Unfortunately, there is little information available on the hydromorphodynamics and biota of Balkan rivers under threat. Objectives: We present a synthesis of research on the Vjosa in Southern Albania. Here, longitudinal continuity in water flow, undisturbed sediment transport and intact fluvial dynamics are still maintained, but threatened by two large dams planned in its downstream section. We intend to provide a first multidisciplinary inventory of this river system as an example of the knowledge base required for sound water management decisions in the Balkans. Methods: Based on field work of a multidisciplinary consortium of scientists from Albania and other countries conducted from 2017 onwards, we summarize the most important findings on geomorphology of the riverine landscape, habitat turnover rates, vegetation ecology and selected animal taxa. Results: We found evidence that significant areas (86%) of the river corridor are covered by habitats listed in Annex 1 of the European Union Habitats Directive. These are associated with a high number of threatened biota. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the value of the Vjosa as one of the few remaining reference sites for dynamic floodplains in Europe and as a natural laboratory for interdisciplinary research. We emphasize that such multidisciplinary studies are a prerequisite for informed evaluation of potential impacts caused by hydropower plants

TRADING-OF FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY AND HYDROPOWER IN A UNIQUE BALKAN HOTSPOT (VJOSA RIVER WATERSHED, ALBANIA)

Inland waters and freshwater biodiversity in Albania constitute a valuable natural resource, in economic, cultural, aesthetic, scientific and educational terms. Amongst them Vjosa River watershed represents a unique feature, while its conservation and management are critical to the interests of local population, national and regional one. This review explores the special features of Vjosa River as one of the last living wild rivers in Europe. Along more than 230 kilometers in Albania it is untamed and free flowing, characterized by beautiful canyons, braided river sections and meandering stretches. Together with its tributaries, the Vjosa River creates a dynamic near-natural ecosystem, a true regional natural heritage. However, eight dams are foreseen along its course in Albania. These dam projects would destroy the unique river system. The river itself, from delta to upland flows, is migration corridor for European eel (Anguilla anguilla Linnaeus, 1758) and many other marine species

The environmental state of important aquatic habitats in Albania based on algal assesment, a review

EnAlbania is rich in aquatic resources with high natural and biological values.Nevertheless,the waters still continue to be endangered,especially in western Adriatic Lowland areas.The structure of microscopic algae may give a better idea of water quality than traditional indicators.Systematic control of water quality will help to develop new strategies of wastewater management.It will allow Albania to reach international standards in environmental protection

Changes in the diatom community in the great lake (Lurë National Park, Albania) from 2005 to 2017 and first steps towards assessment the water quality

Great Lake is the largest of 14 lakes situated in Lurë National Park, in the eastern part of the Lurë Mountains, Albania. To characterize lake ecological status, epiphytic and epilithic diatom samples were collected from the lakeshore in summer 2005, 2013, and 2017. However, in 2017 no macrophytes were present, such that only epilithic diatom samples could be collected. After laboratory analysis, 52 diatom taxa were identified in July 2005, 67 in June 2013, 111 in August 2013, and 126 in August 2017. The genera Diatoma, Epithemia, Fragilaria, and Surirella were not recorded in 2017, contrary to previous years.We applied two diatom indices to asses the ecological status of the Great Lake, IPS (Indice de Polluo–sensibilité), and TDIL (Trophic Diatom Index for lakes). The IPS index indicated very good water quality in all years, while the TDIL indicated moderate water quality in 2005 and 2013 and good water quality in 2017. Because more species have indicator values for calculating the IPS than the TDIL (valve number used to calculate the IPS was above 95%, while for TDIL was below 50% of 400 counted valves), the IPS may be a more promising tool for bioindication of lakes in Albania according to the demands of the Water Framework Directive