Regenerating the protected area of Shkodra Lake through the improvement of local governance

Albania is a country with a rich biodiversity thanks to its location in two biogeographical regions: Alpina and Mediterranea. In the country the areas declared as protected passed from 5.2% of the whole territory in 2005 to 16% in 2014, attempting to preserve the richness of the different ecosystems, but many threats still remain.

Among the main protected areas, Shkodra Lake is the largest lake area of ​​the Balkan Peninsula and it is among the most important lakes in this geographical area due to its particular ecosystem.
Today 170,000 people are living along its shores in Albanian territory and The income for the communities around the lake comes mainly from agriculture and farming, livestock rising, and tourism, all having a strong impact on the use of natural resources and on the lake’s ecosystem.

RE-LAKE project aims to reinforce the active conservation measures of the habitat of the Shkodra Lake area, involving local communities in the management of environmental resources and encouraging the development of economic activities linked to sustainable tourism through an improved local governance.

To do this, the main projects’ activities are:
– involving local communities in the management of the Shkodra Lake Protected Area;
– designing some pilot projects based on the guidelines for sustainable tourism development and environmental protection. Furthermore, some projects, developed during an international workshop, will contribute to the definition of future scenarios;
– implementation of environmental and functional interventions and the pilot projects for sustainable tourism use;
– raising awareness activities in Italy and Albania.

RE-LAKE is co-funded by Region Friuli Venezia Giulia

Location
Lake of Shkoder, Albania

Lead partner
Kallipolis – Associazione non profit per uno sviluppo urbano sostenibile

FVG Partners
Comune di Sauris / UTI Carnia
Università degli Studi di Trieste, Dipartimento Ingegneria e Architettura (DIA)
Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell’Ambiente del Friuli Venezia Giulia

Local Partners
Agenzia Nazionale Albanese delle Zone Protette (Agjencia Kombëtare e Zonave të Mbrojtura ‐ AKZM)
Municipalità di Scutari
Oxfam Italia (Sede in Albania)
Facoltà di Economia, Università di Scutari

Year
2017-2019

Status
Ongoing