Both Land and Sea Life Gain Protection in This Bay

Albania is taking concrete steps to protect its marine and coastal landscapes by converting Porto-Palermo Bay into a Nature Park in an effort to preserve its biodiversity.

“I am delighted to see that the strenuous efforts made by Albania as part of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system are bearing fruit, and look forward to further steps in this direction,” declares Tatjana Hema, the UNEP/MAP Coordinator.

A total of 1,694.98 hectares will be protected, including 1,490.4 hectares of protected marine area. The newly declared Nature Park has three zones: a core zone – which represents 25% of the total area and will be subjected to the highest level of protection – a traditional use and sustainable development zone, and a recreational zone. Porto-Palermo Bay becomes Albania’s second declared marine protected area where threatened marine species such as the Mediterranean endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta, the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis, and the common dolphin Delphinus delphis will be able to thrive. On land, protection covers the tree spurge Euphorbia dendroides – considered unique in Albania – and the forests of the Valonia oak Quercus macrolepis, a relict species of the Ionian coast dating back to the Tertiary period.