The geographic focus of the project is Albania’s coastal zone, and specifically the areas around Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) along the coastal landscape. 

Albania’s coastal zone includes multiple KBAs, which harbour globally significant biodiversity in a wide variety of ecosystem types, including wetlands, shallow bays, beaches, coastal forests, and river deltas. 

Albania’s biodiversity is under threat due to unsuitable practices related to massive tourism developments. With the model of development based on quantity instead of quality, the foreseen growth of tourism in the region will continue to be detrimental for the landscape, and cause pressure on endangered species. In addition, the strain or overuse of available water resources, increasing amount of waste and discharge of pollution in the sea and coastal water bodies is a further threat to environmental resources, and especially species that depend on aquatic ecosystems. The fragmentation, reduction and loss of natural habitats have been a result of demographic developments and the urbanization process. 

The project is highly relevant to and consistent with Albania’s national priorities related to biodiversity conservation, as outlined in key national policy documents. The project rationale and approach are fully consistent with broader government planning at the national level, and specifically in relation to Albania’s coastal belt. The Government of Albania ratified the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) on January 5, 1994 and to this end it is committed to the implementation of the requirements of the Convention and decisions of the Conference of Parties (COP) of CBD. 

In addition, Albania is a party to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol) that provide numerous requirements and orientations that are directly relevant to this project. Albania acceded to the Barcelona Convention May 30, 1990 and ratified the SPA/BD Protocol July 26, 2001. 

The National Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy (NSTDS) is a key policy document that highlights the relevance and national ownership of the proposed project. 

The proposed project’s scope falls directly within the scope of the NSTDS, as it targets the coastal, maritime, ecotourism, and waterfront sub-sectors. In relation to Strategic Goal 2, the project will contribute to increasing the added value and impact of the tourism sector, as biodiversity-friendly and green tourism products and services are typically higher value and generate greater return on investment than “mass market” tourism. The project links to the Strategic Goal 3, as the project will support tourism entrepreneurs in developing new biodiversity friendly tourism products and services (under Component 2). The project aligns with and supports all five of the NSTDS policy goals, including the Policy Goal 4, as the project will contribute to the strengthening of marketing and branding of biodiversity-friendly and green tourism products and services. 

The project will support Albania’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi Targets. The primary SDG linkages will be to SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 14 (Life Under Water). There are also contributions from the proposed project towards SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Sustainable tourism has been identified as contributing to all SDGs (e.g. see the Global Sustainable Tourism Council alignment of the GSTC criteria to SDGs), so indirectly the project will have the potential for broad SDG contributions. Key contributions to Aichi targets include Target 1 (awareness of values of biodiversity awareness), Target 4 (sustainable production and consumption), Target 5 (habitat loss and degradation), Target 11 (protected area expansion and management). 

To address the previously described threats and barriers the project will mainstream biodiversity conservation within tourism development along Albania’s coastal zone through outputs that support a rationalized spatial approach to coastal tourism development where biodiversity is mainstreamed in land use, strengthen the development of biodiversity friendly sustainable tourism approaches and tools, and increase awareness and understanding among tourism operators, decision makers, and the general public about the necessity of incorporating biodiversity considerations in all aspects of coastal tourism development to support widespread adoption and scaling-up of good practices. 

The project builds on and leverages multiple partnerships that UNDP has developed in recent years in cooperation with the Government of Albania. The project takes full advantage of the dual mandates of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, by focusing on the high value ecosystems along Albania’s coast that have great importance for Albania’s environment, but which also are areas of focus of the tourism sector due to their important values such as natural beauty, serenity, wildlife viewing, outdoor recreation, and others. The municipal governments in each of the project sites are key partners that oversee the economic development of these regions, and which are responsible for planning, both in terms of spatial planning and economic planning. The project will partner closely with each of the targeted municipalities (Divjakë, Lezhë, Shkodër, Vlorë) to support their priorities related to both tourism development, and the ecological sustainability of the natural landscapes under their supervision.