The

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s of

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

comprise a number of various current designations across the territory of the country. The national policy for governing and management of the protected areas is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism through the National Agency of Protected Areas of Albania (AKZM). Currently, there are 799

s including 14 national parks, 1 marine park, 2

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s, 22 managed nature reserves, 5 protected landscapes and 770 other protected areas of various categories representing 21.3% of the territory as of 2022. Further a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, 3

world heritage sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

, 4

ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

important plant area Important Plant Areas (IPA) is a programme set up in the UK, by the organisation Plantlife, to provide a framework for identifying and maintaining the richest sites for plant life, possibly within existing protected areas; though the protection of ...

s and 16

important bird area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

s are located in Albania. Meanwhile, the Albanian government has proclaimed the Coastline of Albania and the Tirana Greenbelt as areas of national importance. Lura_Liqeni_i_Lulëve

However, protected areas are being threatened by

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

, forest fires, and the construction of hydroelectric power plants which have prompted several protests from environmentalists and civil society, meanwhile the logging and hunting moratorium has somewhat successfully revived the fauna and flora of some protected areas. In 2020, the

Albanian Government Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government a ...

has revamped the protected areas map by changing designations, coverage areas, and by adding new areas to the network such as the

Vjosa River The Vjosa (; indefinite form: ) or Aoös ( el, Αώος) is a river in northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania. Its total length is about , of which the first are in Greece, and the remaining in Albania. Its drainage basin is and its ave ...

List of protected areas

Biosphere Reserves

Archaeological Parks

References

External links

National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM)
- Official Website (English)
National Parks and Protected Areas Portal Official WebsiteOfficial Coastal Agency Website
(Albanian) {{Europe in topic, List of protected areas of, countries_only=yes Albania geography-related lists