PART II: Case Examples from Central and Eastern Europe

Karavasta Lagoon Management Plan

Albania

Andrian Vaso

Background

The lagoon of Karavasta, located in the southern part of Albania, is an enclosed water system of about 4,000 hectares, connected to the Adriatic Sea by three artificially maintained channels. There are two major rivers not directly connected with the lagoon: Shkumbini in the North and Semani in the South. Freshwater is derived from drainage water from the surrounding agricultural land and from the hills to the bank of the lagoon, which carries with it the threat of agrochemical pollution and also industrial contaminants entering the catchment area through discharge to the major rivers. The lagoon is bordered from the north by an important area of Mediterranean coastal forest - a part of which has been designated as the Divjaka National Park.

The lagoon is of national and international importance. The area of the lagoon supports up to five percent of the total world breeding population of Dalmatian pelicans and also harbors a significant proportion of the European breeding populations of little tern and collared pratincole. The lagoon is home to a wide range of breeding aquatic birds and in winter harbors many thousands of wildfowl. The winter bird count is estimated at 40,000 specimens comprising 46 species.

The area is under threat in general terms from hunting, pollution, agricultural practices, and drainage. The lagoon of Karavasta was identified as a priority wetland site in the World Bank Environmental Strategy Study for Albania, prepared in 1993.

Problems/Effects

The problems first occurred in the beginning of the eighties when a state study carried out by the Institute of Fishing Researches concluded that the number of breeding pelicans should be limited because of the high amount of fish they eat every day. Earlier, the wetland reclamation programs reduced the waters around the lagoon by 50 percent. Some of the habitats were also reduced. The threat became greater when the metallurgical industry in Elbasani town began to use the Shkumbini river for discharges. This river was also used by the petrol refinery plant in the neighboring town of Cerriku for discharges.

The aforementioned problems caused a reduction in the numbers of the pelican's colony, the fish stock and other animals which used as their habitat the lagoon sites. No monitoring systems were established to measure the quantity of the chemical discharged into the soil and water. The decline of pelicans was also due to the attitude of fishermen.

Strategies Employed

Foreign and national NGOs became interested in protecting this landscape following the political changes in Albania. Activities began when the Karavasta Lagoon was selected by the World Bank Environmental Strategy Study as one of the priority areas for protection. The government of Albania declared its wish to protect both the nature and pelicans and preserve the lagoon ecosystem as a whole. This positive attitude generated a range of proposals from national and international bodies, including the IUCN, UNEP and the Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Program (METAP).

The Ministry of Environment encouraged national NGOs to play a strong role in this process. After several meetings with local residents, the NGOs focused on raising public awareness and establishing contacts with major local stakeholders such as fishermen, hunters, teachers and business persons. As a first step, NGOs started to raise funds for different projects related to the issues of lagoon conservation, raising public awareness and coordinating activities.

PPNEA, as the most active NGO, has been involved in a lobbying process related to the new legislation of forestry, hunting and protected areas. The Association for the Protection of Birds and Mammals prepared a draft law related to the protected areas and the biodiversity in Albania.

In the nineties, Italian hunters were allowed unlimited access to the protected area. No hunting quotas were set. NGOs cited this problem, organizing protests and petitions to the government. Several international agreements potentially apply in this case, including the Bern Convention, the Barcelona Convention and the Ramsar Convention. NGOs and scientists together convinced the Ministry of Environment to appeal to the Ramsar Convention. They also forced the General Directory of Forestry (GDF) to close the hunting season for a minimum of one year and prepare new regulations related to hunting activities. The GDF reacted positively to both issues and since 1995, hunting activity has been operating according to the new regulations, which specify the quality and quantity of animals allowed to be shot. The regulations are enforced by forestry guards. IUCN recommendations were used as a basis for developing the new regulations.

The NGOs operated individually, but combined efforts in the case of protests and petitions. Cooperation was established with foreign and international NGOs, including Lega Ucelli, Lega Ambiente, IUCN and WWF Italy. An excellent relationship was established between the Albanian NGO, PPNEA and the German NGO, OTE. With the help of funds offered by the German government, local people were trained in the field of ecotourism, and proposals for the management of the area were completed.

The PHARE Program provided funds for the preparation of the Management Plan for the Karavasta Lagoon. NGOs acted as consultants and participated in the preparation of the plan.

National and local civil organizations regularly took part in meetings and training sessions and provided expertise. The purpose of the activities was to identify and analyze all environmental resources and their use and show the local people possible options for living in a more sustainable basis.

STAKEHOLDERS
Government:
International:
  • PHARE Program
  • Ramsar Convention Office
  • UNEP
  • METAP
  • World Bank

National:
  • The Ministry of Health and Environment
  • Ministry of Agriculture
  • General Directory of Forestry
  • Several national institutes, tourist agencies, business connected to the fields of agriculture and fishing, and various national industries, including the metallurgical industry, petrol industry, paper mills, and mining industry

Local:
  • Local government

Public:
  • Local population, fishermen, hunters, teachers, business
  • Foreign hunters

NGOs:
Local, national, foreign and international NGOs:
  • Albanian NGOs: Association for the Preservation and Protection of Natural Environment (PPNEA), Association for the Protection of Birds and Mammals, Pearl, Society of Biologists
  • IUCN
  • OTE (Germany)
  • Lega Ucelli, Lega Ambiente, WWF Italy (Italy)

Outcome

There is now a locally agreed resource management plan (which included public participation) which could be said to be technically effective from the conservation point of view. This plan will be more enforceable and stands a much greater chance of success in the long-term compared to projects imposed by external (conservation) agencies which claim total technical effectiveness.

Lessons Learned

In this case, both international legal and nonformal tools were used to achieve success. Besides referring to an international convention (the Ramsar Convention), NGOs were also involved in lobbying for national legislation, as well as actually drafting legislation. At the same time, they cooperated with local stakeholders, supporting activities related to public awareness raising, lobbying for legislation, and coordinating with local, national and international NGOs.

  1. Efficient cooperation between government agencies (MoE, GDF), NGOs, local government, public, businesses, and foreign funders (World Bank, PHARE) can result in positive solutions offering options both for future living possibilities and increased environmental protection. This approach requires openness and flexibility from each participant in the process.
  2. The NGOs successfully used a combination of legal and nonformal tools, depending on the stage of development. In this respect, the timing of the different techniques used to support the case was crucial. An international convention, (Ramsar) was used as a basis for elaborating the management plan and new regulations for the protected area.
  3. Excellent communication was shown by NGOs at local, national and international levels. With the help of foreign financial aid, NGOs began to raise public awareness, a basis for public participation.
  4. Due to the expertise shown by the NGOs, they were accepted as equal partners, enabling them to influence the process and outcome of the decisionmaking.

REC * PUBLICATIONS * BEYOND BOUNDARIES * CASE EXAMPLES * ALBANIA

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