Shebenik-Jabllanice
National park
The
Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park (SHJNP or the Park) covers some of the most
beautiful mountain areas in the east of the country. Located in Librazhd
District in the Elbasan Region, the area was designated as a national park in
2008, with a total extent of 33,928 ha. Situated around the headwaters of the
Shkumbini River, the Park is dominated by mountains and valleys. It ranges in
altitude from 300 to 2,260 m above sea level and includes a diversity of
climatic conditions, geological types, landscapes, habitats and plant and
animal species. From a human perspective the Shebenik-Jabllanica includes parts
of 2 Municipality (Librazhd and
Prrenjas) for which the total area is 77,450 ha and the total population is
44,677 inhabitants.
Location and Boundaries. The location and boundaries of the Shebenik-Jabllanica National Park are
outlined in DCM No. 640, date 21.05.2008. The Park comprises an irregular strip
of land some 30 km long in the north-south direction and 3-12 km wide in the
east-west direction, with a total area of 33,928 ha. This is situated between
the Macedonia border (to the east); to the north, the road via Stebleve to
Librazhd; then from Librazhd southeast to Prrenjasi; and from Prrenjasi back to
the Macedonia border . The coordinates of the central point of the park are:24,4°
Lon and 41,2° Lat.
Local
Adninistration
Details
were obtained for two municipality have a total registered population of 46,258
people, comprising of 11,626 families settled in 51 villages; and cover a total
area of 76,989 ha, including 6,996 ha of cultivated land, 11,641ha of
agricultural land and 16,746 ha of communal forest land. Disaggregated data
concerning villages, populations and the different types of land included within
the SJNP were not obtained.
How can you go..?
A new road
from Tirana via an extended tunnel to Elbasan has been constructed and is
currently being completed. This will significantly reduce the distance and time
to Elbasan and, together with the current upgrading of the Librazhd to Stebleve
road, will greatly improve access from Tirana to the Park, and thus
opportunities for tourism and other economic activities within the Park.
Relation to National Ecological
Network.
The
Shebenik-Jabllanica National Park is one of 798 existing protected areas in
Albania. Most of these comprise nature monuments of limited extent (n = 750).
There are 55 more extensive protected areas covering a total area of 435,795 ha
(Map 4). The SJNP is one of 14 National Parks, but accounts for 18% of the
total area of national parks, and 8% of the overall extent of protected areas
in Albania. Within the Elbasan Region there are a further six protected areas
(Dardhe-Xhyre, Kuturman, Polis, Qafe-Bushi, Sopot and Stravaj), all of which
are managed nature reserves, the combined extent of which is 5,245 ha. Other
than Qafe-Bushi (500 ha) the remainder are all located within Librazhd
District.
The
SHJNP occupies a strategic position and potentially provides important linkages
to the Pogradec Protected Landscape to the south; to the east to the protected
area network in Macedonia; to the north to the recently proclaimed
Korab-Koritnik Managed Nature Reserve; and to the west to a contiguous complex
of protected areas in central Albania comprising Mali i Dajtit National Park,
Qafe Shtame National Park and M. Gropa-Bizë-Martanesh Protected Landscape.
The
northern part of the Park drains to the north into the Drin River, while the
remaining bulk drains to the east via the Shkumbini River. The Shkumbini runs
past Librazhd and Elbasan before entering the Adriatic Sea at Karavasta Bay.
The Karavasta Lagoon is an important wetland and bird area and has been
designated as a National Park and Ramsar Site.
Contribution
to International Ecological Networks.
The SHJNP has been identified
as one of 45 Important Plant Areas (IPA) and as one of 25 potential Emerald
Sites within Albania (Table 5). The adjacent Jablanica portion of Macedonia has
also been identified as an IPA, as a core area for the Macedonia National
Ecological Network, and as a priority area for expansion of the existing
protected area network in Macedonia. In future the SHJNP is thus likely to form
part of a much larger transboundary protected area. SHJNP will also contribute
to the developing Balkan Regional Ecological Network (BREN), to the European
Greenbelt and to the Pan European Ecological Network (PEEN). It also
contributes to global priority conservation by WWF
(Global 200 Ecoregions) and CEPF (Hotspots and Key Biodiversity Areas). Recently
UNESCO decided to include in the list of world heritage, 2000 hectares of beech
forests located in the central part of the strict area in Rrajca.
Flora.
Important plant species. The habitats listed above
host a rich flora with several important plant species according to different
criteria: endemic species or species with restricted distribution, threatened
(listed in IUCN Red List of Albania, Europe or the World) or with economic
value. Altogether, a total of 26 species of conservation interest have been
identified (Annex 6). Based on the presence of threatened and
endemic/restricted range plant species, overall species richness and the
presence of nationally or regionally important habitats, the SHJNP has been
identified as one of 45 Important Plant Areas within the country.
In the small and scattered wetlands, including
springs, bogs and alpine streams, important Balkan species with restricted
distribution as Pinguicula balcanica, Nartheciumscardicum (Balkan endemic,
Vulnerable A1b) and Soldanella pindicola can be found.
The serpentine communities growing in the mountain and
alpine belt, on outcrops of this toxic and selective igneous rock, host a rare
flora with important Balkan and threatened species as Alyssum bertolonii
(Balkan endemic, Lower Risk cd), Sedum serpentini (Lower Risk nt) and, more
rarely, Festucopsis serpentini (Endemic, Not Evaluated). At the same altitude,
but on calcareous rocks, we found the steppic-dry grasslands of
Festuco-Brometea which hosts some species collected as medicinal plants by
local people, such as Thymus spp., Gentiana lutea, Sideritis syriaca, Hypericum
perforatum, Satureja montana and Origanum vulgare.
In the grasslands and dwarf-shrubs, above the tree
line, on igneous rocks, other rare and threatened species with limited
distribution can be found: Alkanna scardica (Sub-endemic, Lower Risk cd),
Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. balgarica (sub-endemic), Bornmuellera baldacci
(Endangered A1b), Genista hassertiana (Sub-endemic, Near Endangered), Gentiana
lutea (Endangered A1b), Lilium albanicum (Sub-endemic, Critically Endangered
1b) juveniles of Pinus peuce (Balkan endemic, Endangered A1b) and Viola
magellensis.On limestone peaks and ridges chasmophytic communities, dominated
by rare and threatened species such as Moltkia petraea, Potentilla apennina and
Ramonda serbica (Balkan endemic, Vulnerable A1b) grow.
Fauna
The SHJNP provide crucial habitat for numerous
important animal species. Among the numerous mammal species, six are listed in the
Bern Convention requiring strict protection; fourteen other species are listed
in the Red Book of Albanian fauna.Species of special conservation interest are:
brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), lynx (Lynx lynx), otter (Lutra
lutra), wild cat (Felis silvestris), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), wood mouse
(Apodemus sylvaticus) and lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura
suaveolens).
The SJNP
supports a diverse bird community due to its wide altitudinal range and
impressive variety of habitat types. The first ornithological field survey ever
conducted in the Park (over one week during June 2013), covered approximately
11% of the area and 16 habitat types. A total of 84 bird species were recorded
of which 67 % are listed in the Bern Convention (“Strictly protected fauna
species”) . Particularly high bird diversities were found in mixed traditional
farmland, dry calcareous grasslands with Juniperus communis shrublands and
alpine pastures, which also harboured the highest number of specialist species.
Primary forests could also be included in this category, but these could only
be marginally surveyed due to their scarcity. Lowest species richness was found
in one of the most abundant habitats of the Park, secondary Fagus sylvatica
forests, where generalist species such as Chaffinch, Blackcap and Chiffchaff
dominate. The most notable specialist species recorded during the one-week
survey were Golden Eagle, Hobby, Rock Partridge, Nightjar, Rock Thrush,
White-backed Woodpecker and Black Woodpecker, Wryneck, Hoopoe, Sombre Tit, Cirl
Bunting, Black-headed Bunting and Corn Bunting. It is essential to note the
importance of the still widely practiced traditional agriculture methods, not
only for their very high bird diversity (in a European context), but also for a
remarkably high abundance of species such as the Red-backed Shrike, Skylark,
Corn Bunting, Cuckoo and Cirl Bunting. Within and around the villages big
flocks of House Sparrows and Tree Sparrows are of particular interest as they
are both declining severely across Europe. It is highly expected that further
surveys will report many more bird species, especially the most threatened and
scarce ones which are also the most difficult to confirm.
Important animal species. Important animal species include a
number of iconic and threatened medium and large mammals such as the brown bear
(Ursus arctos), the Endangered Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx martinoi), the Near
Threatened otter (Lutra lutra) plus the wolf (Canis lupus), wild cat (Felis
silvestris), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra)
(Row 16). The recorded high abundance of some species of birds, some of which
are protected under focused programmes in other European countries due to
declining populations, highlighted a very large amount of suitable habitat, for
example, Lanius collurio, Luscinia megarhyncho, and Serinus serinus (all Bern
Convention Category II). Other important animal species include raptors, such
as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) (Row 17); the tortoise Testudo hermanni
(Row 18) and the four-lined snake Elaphe quatuorelineata (bothNear Threatened);
and fish species such as Anguilla anguilla(Critically
Endangered),Oxinoemacheilus pindus (Vulnerable) and Barbus meridionalis and
Rutilus rubilio (both Near Threatened) (Row 20).
