LocationsUNDP Albania
#EU4Nature Protects Albania's Extraordinary Natural Heritage
March 17, 2026
The Vjosa flows 272 kilometres from the mountains of Greece through southern Albania to the Adriatic, untouched by dams, diversions, or major engineering works.
UNDP Albania
Albania's natural landscapes are exceptionally diverse — encompassing alpine terrain, coastal wetlands, ancient forests, and free-flowing rivers. Building on this natural wealth, Albanian authorities are working with international partners to put in place the management systems, expertise, and resources needed for long-term conservation.
The EU4Nature project — funded by the European Union and Sweden and co-implemented by UNDP Albania and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation — is a systematic effort to upgrade how Albania protects, monitors, and manages its most precious ecosystems. At its core, EU4Nature links conservation outcomes with stronger institutions — ensuring that progress made today continues well into the future.
Under the Vjosa National Park Management Plan, EU4Nature has launched concrete restoration work: three hectares of riparian habitat are being restored, 7,500 native plants in the ground, and local communities engaged as active partners in conservation.
UNDP Albania
The Vjosa: A River That Refuses to Be Tamed
The Vjosa flows 272 kilometres from the mountains of Greece through southern Albania to the Adriatic, untouched by dams, diversions, or major engineering works. That makes it something remarkable in modern Europe: a free-flowing river in its natural state, home to rare fish species, migratory birds, and floodplain habitats that have largely disappeared elsewhere on the continent.
Under the Vjosa National Park Management Plan, EU4Nature has launched concrete restoration work: three hectares of riparian habitat are being restored, 7,500 native plants in the ground, and local communities engaged as active partners in conservation.
Blue Eye
UNDP Albania
From Paper Plans to Working Systems
Across Albania's protected area network, EU4Nature is working with national authorities to put in place the systems that effective conservation depends on: current management plans, reliable visitor monitoring, and financial tools that ensure revenues are tracked and reinvested where they matter most.
Electronic ticketing and point-of-sale payment systems have been installed at three key sites — giving park administrators a real-time picture of visitor flows and revenues. The sites now equipped include:
- Dajti Mountain National Park
- Kune-Vain Lagoon Natonal Park
- Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) Nature Park
Major protected areas are advancing updated management plans — including Bredhi i Hotovës–Dangëlli, Zagoria, and Bredhi i Sotirës. More than 80 protected area staff have received national and regional training.
Ten pilot protected areas were assessed using the METT-4 tool to evaluate how effectively they are managed. The assessment resulted in an average management score of 36.53%.
Eyes in the Forest, Data in the Field
Effective conservation starts with reliable data. EU4Nature is equipping Albania's protected area managers with scientific tools and monitoring systems to make informed, evidence-based decisions:
- Camera Traps — Deployed in forest and mountain habitats to monitor wildlife populations, track rare species, and detect illegal activity.
- Drones — Used for aerial surveys of large or hard-to-access areas, providing data on habitat change, erosion, and ecosystem health.
- Freshwater Monitoring — Specialist equipment tracking water quality,
- Fire Response Equipment — Enabling faster, better-equipped responses to wildfires, which pose a growing threat as temperatures rise.
Comprehensive biodiversity and socio-economic assessments — including a detailed study of the Shala Valley — are providing the evidence base managers need for long-term planning. Albania is aiming to bring 25% of its land and sea under protection by 2030, in line with EU Natura 2000 standards. Currently, 21.7 % of the territory and 4.3% of marine areas are protected.
The Youth4Nature programme has brought 20 young Albanians — many from natural sciences backgrounds — into direct collaboration with the National Agency for Protected Areas and regional administrations.
UNDP Albania
Youth & Future: The Generation That Will Inherit Nature
Sustainable conservation depends on knowledgeable, committed professionals. Building local expertise and transferring knowledge to the next generation is a core part of EU4Nature's approach.
The Youth4Nature programme has brought 20 young Albanians — many from natural sciences backgrounds — into direct collaboration with the National Agency for Protected Areas and regional administrations. They are contributing to biodiversity monitoring, running environmental education campaigns, and gaining hands-on experience in protected area management.
Youth4Nature is a direct investment in Albania's next generation of conservation professionals — the people who will lead, manage, and shape the country's protected areas in the years ahead.
Results at a Glance
- Vjosa Restoration — Three hectares of riparian habitat restored; 7,500 native plants established under the Vjosa National Park Management Plan.
- E-Ticketing Systems Deployed — Digital payment and visitor tracking installed at Dajti, Kune-Vain, and Blue Eye.
- 80+ Staff Trained — Protected area professionals across Albania received specialist training in management, monitoring, and conservation tools.
- 20 Young Professionals Join Youth4Nature — Embedded with the National Agency for Protected Areas, beginning careers at the intersection of science, policy, and nature.
"Albania's natural ecosystems — from the Vjosa River to its coastal lagoons and mountain forests — are assets of national and European significance. EU4Nature is helping to ensure they are protected not just today, but sustainably into the future, by investing in the institutions, people, and systems that lasting conservation depends on." — Elvita Kabashi, Head of Environment Cluster, UNDP Albania.
EU4Nature project supports Albania's alignment with EU environmental standards ahead of accession.
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