139 thousands of waterbirds, 61 different species registered in 21 wetland sites from 90 participants involving national and international experts from different NGOs (AOS, ASPBM, APAWA, LIPU, OMP Kukës & PPNEA), volunteers, independent experts, Regional Agencies for Protected Areas, National Agency for Protected Areas and the staff of Natur Al project who supported and made possible for the third year in a row the International Waterbird Census in Albania.
The results of the census were made available on the 3rd of February 2018, in the presence of national and local media, in an event held by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment in Divjaka-Karavasta National Park. Minister Klosi, present in that event, stressed the high potentials of wetlands as an important natural tourism asset and he appreciated the lack of disturbance and the management of areas where there is a significant increase of waterbirds’ number as it is the case for Divjaka-Karavasta and Kune-Vain.
The most important wetland areas for this year, as for the other years, was Divjaka-Karavasta with more than 33% of waterbirds registered in Albania and with 75% of the observed waterbird species. The participating students and environmental activists asked among others about the position of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment towards the proposed resort (urbanisation) in Divjaka-Karavasta National Park. Minister Klosi, replying to the question, said that there will be no construction in the Protected Area. Nevertheless, Mabetex-Tirana, has opened the Strategic Environmental Assessment process and has officially applied for the Environmental Declaration. As per our information, there is not yet an official response from the Ministry towards but we hope that the response will reflect the position that the Minister Klosi had supported in the Divjaka-Karavasta event.
