The coalition of CSOs held a meeting with local actors in Shkodra. The border revision of the Protected Areas is now a sensitive on a national and international level, but especially for the local stakeholders who are quite influenced by this issue.
In this regard, at the beginning of this week, the Group of Environmental Civil Society Organizations held the second advisory meeting attended by representatives from the Shkodra Regional Administration of Protected Areas, representatives from the Department of Environment and Strategic Planning of Shkodra Municipality, the Faculty of Natural Sciences from the University of Shkodra, and local civil society organizations. In these series of meetings, the discussion focused on decision-making issues for the revision and rezoning of Protected Areas. Specifically in terms of:
- The expected impact on the biological and local socio-economic integrity of the PAs, especially in the Managed Nature Reserve (MNR) “Lake Shkodra”;
- Trends and mapping of non-sustainable development exponents in the area;
- Discussions about the consultative process undertaken by public authorities.
Retrospective:
A little retrospective is good for the cause.
We recall that, in January 2022, two Decisions of the Council of Ministers were approved, DCM No. 59 and DCM No. 60, which change the boundaries and zoning of PAs, category II and IV, throughout the country. In the region of Shkodra, this change has led to the removal of about 2920 ha from the ZM Lake Shkodra and the merging of Protected Areas in the region of the Albanian Alps, where the rezoning has brought quite a few changes in terms of their exposure to non-sustainable developments.
Of note, the number of changes in the PAs has been described as inappropriate by the CSO Group, where they emphasize that the negative impact will be far-reaching and irreversible on the ecological integrity of these areas.
If you would like to contribute in opposing this issue, your help would be greatly appreciated.
“Ky aktivitet u zhvillua në kuadër të projektit “NGOs for biodiversity conservation “, me mbështetjen e Green-AL, një projekt i financuar nga Agjencia Ndërkombëtare Suedeze për Bashkëpunim dhe Zhvillim (SIDA) me fonde nga Qeveria Suedeze dhe zbatuar nga Co-PLAN, Instituti për Zhvillimin e Habitatit në bashkëpunim me CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli, VIS Albania dhe COSV – Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo”.
