Protected Areas Forum
The “Forum of Protected Areas” was held on January 26, where sharp topics related to the protection of nature in Albania were discussed.
This meeting, organized by the Coalition of Protected Areas, represented by AOS-Albanian Ornithological Society, #ResPublica and EcoAlbania takes place within the #GreenAL project. On this occasion, various actors at the national and local level presented their views on the current situation of nature conservation, raised concerns, but also presented possible solutions for discussion.
Taulant Bino, President of the Ornithological Society of Albania (AOS-Albanian OrnithologicalSociety) announced that NGOs in our country have currently highlighted procedural irregularities, especially from the point of view of the legal framework, as far as public counseling is concerned, as well as for investments strategies. All identified deficiencies, according to Bino, will be discussed with environmental organizations, to be followed up with legal steps.
The Ambassador of Sweden in Tirana, Elsa Håstad, said that Albania has done quite intensive work to adapt the legal framework according to the directives of the European Union for the protection of nature, but the implementation is at an early stage. The ambassador added that preservation and conservation faces challenges that must be turned into opportunities during the preparation of negotiations with the EU.
“It’s great to see how this Embassy collaboration with Co-PLAN and the other three partners in the #GreenAL program is providing tools, resources and most importantly a platform for environmental organizations and activists to come together, share knowledge, express concerns and unite efforts for more influence and power. #GreenAL is a big open house where more than 70 organizations are part of it” – said Ambassador Håstad.
Rodion Gjoka, representative of Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development, implementer of Green-AL, speaking about the work carried out to date, emphasized how important it is that the participating organizations in this project affect the entire spectrum of the environment.
On the second day of the “Forum of Protected Areas”, a closing activity was held, where the participants visited and saw the birds up close in the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park.
The forum was organized within and with the support of #GreenAL, a project financed by the Swedish International Agency for Cooperation and Development (SIDA) with funds from the Swedish Government and implemented by the Co-PLAN Institute for Habitat Development, in cooperation with VIS Albania and COSV – Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo and CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli.
#protectedareas #conservation #coplanalbania