In the Karaburun Sazan marine protected area, Albania’s first marine park, the scientific monitoring is now ready. Mapping of underwater meadows, campaigns to measure water quality… the managers have initiated a scientific program to better manage the protected area.
This year 2020, as special as it may be, marks the beginning of the MedFund agreement for the long-term co-management of the Karaburun Sazan site, involving the public authority RAPA Vlore and the local NGO Flag Pine. This partnership covers the implementation of the management plan, the organization of the governance, surveillance, awareness raising and monitoring activities.
The Universities of Vlore and Tirana and other stakeholders have contributed to define the scientific activities necessary for the management, leading to the definition of three main conservation targets: Cystoseira amentacea, a brown algae indicative of water quality; posidonia meadows, which play an essential role as nurseries and in the fight against climate change; and Lithophyllum byssoides concretions, at the land-sea interface, particularly vulnerable to pollution.
« The monitoring that we did for Cystoseira amentacea enabled us to reevaluate the area that was monitored for the last time 7 years ago and also gave us the first data for a new area” declared Laureta, site coordinator for the NGO Flag Pine.
The management team has been trained to implement the scientific protocols using the measuring devices, allowing them to carry out regular monitoring independently in the future.
The long-term data series will support the understanding of the evolution of ecosystems, the impacts of anthropic activities to adapt management activities and effectively preserve marine biodiversity.
