Shoring up assets Just three weeks before Christmas, conservationists across Europe received a long-coveted gift from Albania. On November 2, 2005 the government in Tirana placed under protection 495 sq km of the Albanian portion of Lake Shkodra and surrounding habitats. The area complements the protected zone on the Montenegrin side of the lake established in 1985. The lake (known as Skadar in Montenegro) is now entirely protected in a 900 sq km reserve. It is home to approximately 250 recorded bird species, including the Dalmatian pelican and golden eagle, and 45 fish species. Large mammals like dolphins and bears can be found in terrestrial and coastal protected areas bordering the Albanian side of the lake, according to the WWF. The new status will protect freshwater, terrestrial, and delta systems of exceptional value and beauty, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The lake is the largest freshwater body in the Mediterranean basin. The newly proclaimed protected area in Albania will include typical freshwater habitats, shore land and habitats adjacent to the Buna River and the Viluni lagoon. The Albanian government proposed the area as a Ramsar site, giving it status as a wetland of global conservation importance. This is an important example of how one of the poorest countries in Europe has managed make nature protection a major policy priority, said Tobias Salathe, the regional coordinator for Europe of the Ramsar Convention. “It is inspiring to see a joint conservation effort between two countries that were in an isolation for decades in the past,” said Mira Mileva, who has managed a REC project for the conservation of Shkodra Lake since 2001. The project received support from the Swiss Agency for International Development. The REC, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and other international organisations had been working for Shkodra’s protection through several nature conservation activities aimed at building cooperation between the two countries. Folk music and a fair featuring wine and organic products from both sides of the border accompanied the January 24 ceremony on the lake’s protection. Host of the celebration, Albanian environment minister Lufter Xhuveli, said his government would double the size of nature protection areas in Albania. “We want to rise to the level of all West European countries in this respect by 2010-2012, which means having 15 percent of the country’s area protected,” Xhuveli announced. The Albanian government understands that Shkodra is a unique asset with which other countries can’t compete, Salathe explained. Securing the support of local people was probably the hardest challenge in winning protected status of the Montenegrin side of the lake, said Vasilije Buskovic, from the nature protection institute in Podgorica, Montenegro. From 1991 to 2004 in the ministry of environment, Buskovic worked directly for the inclusion of the Montenegran part of the lake into the Ramsar convention’s list. “It was difficult for people to accept the transition from a fisheries-based economy which had lasted for centuries,” said Buskovic. Albanians will now face the same, he warned. To win community consensus in Albania, the REC undertook several activities involving local authorities, fishermen, NGOs and research institutions. The REC worked in the Shkodra region to involve local authorities and stakeholders in negotiations with Albania’s Ministry of Environment. Under the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Pro-gramme for South Eastern Europe some 50 environmental projects were implemented entirely or partly in Albania with the support of the Albanian Government and local NGOs. The next step should be the sustainable development of the local economy, said Buskovic. Residents should be involved with environmentally-friendly activities, like bed and breakfasts, and production of traditional agricultural products, like the famous local Vranac wine, grape brandy, Shkodra tobacco, and garlic, he said. Many challenges lie ahead, Salathe warned: “Obviously with economic development there will be more pressure on nature.” He observed that houses have cropped up along shore areas where they do not belong, but said the government of Montenegro was “more or less obliged” to accept waterfront development. Looking at the Albanian side, it is high time to develop a land use plan, Salathe said. But spirits in Albania are high. “I hope in the near future support for environment will be increased - not only from the government, but from the public,” Xhuveli said.

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