Island Preservation

by James and Nancy Dobbin

Although a small country of about 11,000 square miles, it boasts a varied landscape and a sunny climate. Along its magnificent Mediterranean coastline, steep mountains plunge into the Ioanian Sea in the south, while a fertile lowland strip, where most people live, edges into the Adriatic Sea in the north. Beaches, lagoons, islands, caves, forests, and grottos provide beauty and diversity.

When Albania emerged from communism in 1992, it soon began to launch its free market economy. The challenge ahead remains to direct future growth through ecotourism to avoid degradation of the natural resources that are essential to Albania's economic and environmental well-being.

A fortress (above) and the coastal town of Gjirokaster (top) provide spectacular landscape views that attract tourists.

A project for the World Bank and the European Union, conducted in 1994 by Landscape Architects at Dobbin International, provided a new model for coastal zone management for both the north and south coasts of Albania. A major part of the project involved the development of a large protected area system (including national parks, marine protected areas, national monuments, etc.) as a basis for ecotourism. In general, the process of linking protected areas with tourism can actually enhance the health of sensitive coastal and marine habitats while bringing in funds from visitors to both local communities and national treasuries. The protected areas should include cultural and heritage protection along with natural resource protection, especially in urban areas where there will be higher concentrations of people.

In general, the south coast of Albania was found to offer the most tourism opportunities since it supports a wide range of environments that are almost completely undeveloped and remain in pristine condition. The few lagoons and wetlands of the area hold rare flora and fauna, and would be of interest to ecotourists. Several villages already have their own system of bed-and-breakfast facilities that should be encouraged and used as models for other areas. Sites were identified for hiking or "trekking" trails connected to trekking villages, coastal and marine villages, eco-cultural villages, as well traditional tourist villages.

A mosaic tile floor (left) and a byzantine structure (right) grace the Butrint Archaeological Site.

In these magical places where time has stood still, tour guides can recount ancient legends, tell the story of a 12-headed dragon, and provide escort to Butrint where the Prince Aeneas of Troy gave the city its name when he sacrificed his wounded ox or safe passage into Epirus. The future bodes well for ecotourism efforts. lasn