EN| A number of Civil Society Organizations and representatives of scientific and academic institutions of the country held yesterday, Friday, October 29, 2021, a meeting with Mrs. Kumbaro, Minister of Tourism and Environment.
The meeting was requested by about 50 organizations part of the grouping for the cause of protection of the protected areas (PA) from the unfair process of border review, initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment since 2019.
As in the last two years, the group of NGOs and representatives of scientific and academic institutions was extremely critical of the process followed by the Ministry and the impact of this process, especially in coastal wetlands that are also the epicenter of biological diversity. of Albania.

The group reiterated that:
1. The process followed to date by the Ministry is contrary to the legislation on Protected Areas and the entire legal framework for public consultation that guarantees transparency in decision-making;
2. The consequences of this hasty reassessment in Protected Areas, not in accordance with the laws and unscientific, are extremely negative for the national biological diversity and especially for the wetland PAs that are also international PAs (Ramsar, IBA, KBA, Emerald and Natura 2000).

Almost the same position is held by the international institutions:
1. Addressing the event in detail, the EU Delegation to Albania states in its recent progress report (2021) that the National Council of the Territory has approved without public consultation the revised map of PAs by fragmenting and reducing them as well as compromising the ecological functionality of PAs. The EU urges Albania to listen to the scientific community and other stakeholders in the country.
2. Also, major donors in the field of environment see the process and plans with a strong impact on biodiversity and not transparent.
Based on the above, the Group has pointed that the process is illegal and the content of the process is wrong. Therefore, we asked the Ministry not to rush the process of reviewing Protected Areas.

Likewise, we provided the Ministry with our views as follows:
1. to draft in advance the Specific Plan of PAs in accordance with the law on Protected Areas. This plan should be drafted in cooperation with civil society. The plan should also indicate the need to change, remove and add new protected areas.
2. to reconduct the study for the review of the surface of the protected areas. For each PA there should be a specific group of experts to contribute with data and comments on the surface, habitats, species and internal zoning of each the protected area.
3. to not reduce any surface of any protected area before the completion of the Plan and the re-implementation of the process of reviewing the surface of the protected areas.

We thank Minister Kumbaro for the opportunity of this meeting which was considered by her as only a first step of cooperation with this part of civil society and scientific institutions. We also greatly appreciate her desire for other thematic meetings. But our visit and our requests for more than two years are related to the inviolability of protected areas, especially the coastal wetland protected areas.

Unfortunately, Minister Kumbaro did not show the readiness to start reviewing the decision of the National Territorial Council of December 2020 as the decision that reduces, fragments the protected areas and leads to degradation of biological diversity.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment could still delegitimize the failure to justify the wrong decision of KKT. We told the Ministry today what is the path we expect to be followed by this public institution. It’s just enough to support our thoughts and our above requests!
If this willingness does not exist, then NGOs and scientific and academic institutions will pursue their mission in defense of the public good through an active campaign for the protection of protected areas and the use of all forms of administrative and legal grievances.

A two day training on the importance of natural values of the cross-border area was held in Albania in Has on 28-29 October 2021. The capacity training focused on the present values of biodiversity and the importance of protecting the natural resources of the area was introduced and presented to the participants. As such, the participants around 32, from Albania, Has area and from Kosovo, from Klina area joined together to discuss the importance of protecting the environment of the cross-border area, which entails important endemic species and holds important natural values with great economic potential as well as are a precondition to develop tourism, agriculture, forestry, medicinal activities, etc.
The Capacity development trainings included representatives from the Municipality of Has, Kukes, representatives from Klina, farmers, social activists, environmental activist, members of the civil society etc. who jointly discussed the specific values of the cross-border area, in practical group works. Issues were raised, importance of awareness was pointed out and the importance of protecting the wilderness was discussed. Threats regarding biodiversity were pointed out and discussed such as agriculture, mining, forestry were discussed. Chemicals and insecticides and pesticides discussed and the use of them in the food chain that ultimately hurts human health.
The training continued on the second day with a practical work day which included a site visit to Pashtrik Mountain, where specific work on example of biodiversity was conducted by the expert training. Threats to the biodiversity, cooperation between stakeholders, concrete ways on how to draft action plans to protect biodiversity and the environment were presented to the participants in practical work-group.

For more, as a result of this training, practical guiding manuals will be developed to help the people in the cross-border area have practical documentation that can help them in their contribution in protecting the environment and valorizing the natural values of the region.

Photos of the training can be found of EDEN facebook page. Click here

This third out of five capacity development trainings is realized within the European Union - IPA II funded cross-border project "GREEN CROSS - towards local green economies with smart investments”. A project implemented by Balkan Green Foundation in Kosovo and EDEN Center in Albania with its local government partners the Municipality of Klina and Municipality of Has.

In the framework of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (October 18-22), EDEN center had the pleasure to participate in the preliminary sessions organized for this meeting.
In the session " An assessment of barriers and opportunities for young environmentalists accessing justice using the Aarhus Convention" organized by the Youth and Environment Europe network and European Environmental Bureau on 12 October 2021, EDEN center was invited as speaker for sharing its experience in implementing the convention in Albania and the implementation challenges that the convention has. Lira Hakani Program Officer, Public Information and Participation from EDEN center focused her presentation on the importance of the Aarhus Convention, emphasizing that there is a constant need for information and awareness of young people, residents in general, but also the organizations themselves for the important function that the convention has for the environment.

Lira Hakani said: "The Aarhus Convention is the most important convention in the environmental sector. The convention is becoming more necessary to be used in the moment when the environment is at a critical moment, and the impacts on human beings are long lasting on health and social life. We all have the right to be informed, to participate in decision-making processes and to go to court, and this is provided to us through the convention. Young people beyond protests, marches, should know how to use the Convention so that the raised environmental issues can be presented in other settings as well. Government bodies should see young people as an asset and not as a challenge, the spirit of cooperation should be developed and the role of each actor that put in practice Aarhus convention should be understood in order to ensure a more sustainable environment": 

The online meeting continued by presenting concrete cases of violation of the right to information, of directing cases in court. Participants from different countries presented similar realities, emphasizing more and more the importance of information and awareness raising.

Environmental policy-making and decision-making are at an important stage due to the moment of Albania's political dialogue on its EU integration process (approximation of environmental policies according to the environmental acquis/chapter 27).

Given this, the role of civil society organizations is a catalyst and necessary for the orientation of environmental policies towards EU models and for enhancing the participation and transparency of these processes. To increase the participation and effectiveness of interaction between civil society organizations and decision-making structures in charge of environmental and energy policies, watchdogging and active participation are essential.

EDEN Center, on October 7 and 11, organized two training sessions to build the capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) on environmental watchdog in order to strengthen the role and position of CSOs in the process of the country's EU integration process, focused on environmental acquis. More than +15 environmental civil society organisations benefited from the training sessions.

During this training, CSO representatives were introduced to the practice of environmental watchdog, the main steps in starting a watchdog campaign, the history of environmental watchdog cases in the country and the region, possible current cases that can be followed by environmental CSOs through environmental watchdog. In the following, participants interacted to build plans for environmental vigilance campaigns, combining their previous experience with the knowledge and skills gained during the training.

We thank the participants for their contribution and active engagement in discussions and working group sessions.

The program for building the capacities on environmental watchdog comes as part of the "Empowering Civil Society Activism and Concrete contribution into EU accession negotiation process in Albania", implemented by EDEN Center and EDMI, with the financial support of the European Union in the frame of IPA 2017 program.