INTRODUCTION

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I.  INTRODUCTION

Albania is a Mediterranean country on the Balkan Peninsula in the south of Europe. Albania sits at the interface between the mountainous Balkans, a continental European climate and the Mediterranean region. The Albanian coastline is 476 km long, and the Adriatic and Ionian Seas have a great impact on the climate, flora, and fauna in the country. Part of the Balkan region, Albania is a relatively small country. Most of the country is mountainous, rising to 2700 m, and 41 % of the 3.3 million population lives on the extensive coastal plain. The population has doubled over the last thirty years and there is substantial migration towards the cities of the coastal zone. Although Albania is a small country, it is very rich in biological and landscape diversity. This is due to its geographical position, geological factors, hydrology, climate, and soil conditions.

Albania is part of the Mediterranean Alps in the line Dinarido-Albanido-Helenid, and is characterised by a diversity of rock formations since Palaeozoic time. There are more sedimentary and volcanic formations, while metamorphic ones are less common. Other formations such as alluvial, proluvial, koluvial, and deluvial glaciers, marshes, and lakes, are younger and from the Quaternary area. Within Albania there are tectonic zones which during their geological development changed to tectonic and neo-tectonic configurations.

The Albanian relief is mostly hilly and mountainous. There is a diversity of morphological formations and slopes. It has a young age since the Albanian relief originated during the Miocene Age. At the beginning of the Quaternary Age, the Adriatic lowland and other inland lowlands were attached to the continental part of Albania, but the existing relief shape was formulated during the Pliocene Period. The evolution of the Albanian relief continues to this day. The highest point is 2751m above sea level (Korabi Mountain) and the lowest one is 8 meters below sea level (the former Terbufi Marsh). The medium altitude of the country is 708m above the sea level. The altitude declines moving from the east to the west of the country, and this determines the conditions of the climate, land, and vegetation. The climate of Albania is diverse. It has four major climatic zones and 13 sub-zones, which contribute to the country's rich biological diversity.

Albania is well known for its rich and complex hydrographic network composed of rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, and seas. The main rivers are the Drini, Buna, Mati, Shkumbini, Semani, Vjosa, Erzeni, Ishmi, Bistrica, and Pavllo, and their courses have an important effect on the country's coastal biodiversity. About 247 natural lakes of different types and dimensions, and a considerable number of artificial lakes, are located inside the country. Based on their origin, they are divided into tectonic lakes (4), glacier lakes (134), carstic lakes (94), and fluvial lakes (15). Among the more important ones are the transboundary lakes of Shkodra, Ohrid, and Prespa, the most important and largest ones in the Balkans with European and international significance. In the coastal area of Albania there are wetlands such as Karavasta, Narta, Patoku, Viluni, Kune-Vaini, Orikumi, and others, with a total area of 150km2.

Although a small country, Albania is distinguished for its rich biological and landscape diversity. This diversity is attributable to the country's geographic position as well as geological, hydrological, climatic, and soil and relief factors. The mountainous terrain combined with steep cliffs creates ideal conditions for maintaining and protecting a large number of ancient species, which are both endemic and subendemic.

The high diversity of ecosystems and habitats (marine and coastal ecosystems, wetlands, river deltas, sand dunes, lakes, rivers, Mediterranean shrubs, broadleaf, conifers and mixed forests, alpine and subalpine pastures and meadows, and high mountain ecosystems) offers a rich species variety of plants and animals. In Albania, there are around 3,200 species of vascular plants and 756 vertebrate species. Approximately 30% of all European floras occur in Albania. There are 27 endemic and 160 subendemic species of vascular plants, which have a special protection importance for the country. The high Albanian forests maintain the communities of large mammals such as wolf, bear, lynx, and wild goat, and also the characteristic bird communities, which are associated with virgin forests.

Coastal lagoons and large lakes inside the country, are important areas, especially for wintering migratory birds. There are annually met around 70 waterfowl and waterbird species with a total population of 180,000 individuals in Albania during the winter. Albania is also an important crossroad for the migration of birds, bats, and insects.

There are some 91 globally threatened species found in Albania. These include the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), and the Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) for which Albania is a country of particularly critical importance.