Butrinti Saranda 27 August 2014
In the southwestern part of Albania there are three national parks, which thanks to amazing landscape, history and the beauty of Ionian sea are well known by public. Butrinti National Park, marine park of Karaburun-Sazani and Llogara NP, otherwise referred as the "pearls of the Albanian Riviera", are three parks that can be visited during a weekend trip but will remain in each visitor’s memory.
Last week WWF experts visited these parks in the framework of the assessment of the benefits they bring to residents, and they met there with many fishermen, forest specialists, farmers, representatives of local government and tourism businesses, beekeepers, farmers and journalists. Local participants equipped with deep knowledge of the area helped to identify complex benefits that come due to the presence of the parks in these communities. In the national park of Butrinti, an UNESCO archaeological and natural heritage site visited annually by more than 60.000 visitors, it is easy to identify many benefits due to diversity of wildlife of Butrinti lake (especially in Vivari channel), the economic values gained by the usage of water resources for fisheries and those for tourism operators. The cultural values of archaeological site are beautifully combined with richness of the lagoon creating a unique heritage, which should be carefully preserved. Overgrazing due to increasing number of livestock, weak performance of park Management Committee, and the pressure of tourism industry to build further Ksamili area were point out as the main risks threatening this park. The meeting with residents brought interesting data and knowledge that are not easily found in the books. So Mr. Dhimiter Kote, Head of Zarre Commune tells us that after some mistakes made in agriculture fields of protected areas, the people who live around Butrinti park are making today the right choices. "Now farmers are planting clementine orchard that fits to the authentic vegetation of the park and fulfills the needs of farmers. We are trying to provide local and foreign tourists who visit Butrinti Park "- says Kote -" not only with history and archeology but also with ecotourism service based in local delights and by introducing them with the culture of our people. "
