Biological Sheet

General description of the Area:

Shebenik – Jabllanice National Park (SJNP) The area of -Jabllanicë ranges in elevation from 300 to 2200 m above sea level. Being located to the interior of the country the area has a Continental rather than Mediterranean climate. The mean annual temperature is 13.4 oC, and annual precipitation is about 1,360 mm per year.

The SJNP is one of 798 existing protected areas in . 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 Region there are a further six protected areas (Dardhe- Xhyre, Kuturman, Polis, Qafe-Bushi, Sopot and ), 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 District.

The SJNP occupies a strategic position and potentially provides important linkages to the Pogradec Protected Biological corridor: Landscape to the south; to the east to the protected area network in Macedonia; to the north to the recently proclaimed - 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.

Natural values:

Plant c ommunities and habitats . Three types of land units are identified: rangeland (natural areas), aquatic environments and artificial habitats. The rangelands are divided into six components: three types of forests; shrublands and dwarf shrubs; grasslands; and landslides and badlands. The three main forest types are deciduous termophilous forests (oak forests dominated by Quercus frainetto and Quercus cerris or by Quercus petraea and forests dominated by Carpinus orientalis or Platanus orientalis) , Coniferous forests (mainly dominated by Pinus nigra, Pinus peuce and Abies alba), and deciduous mesophilous forests (beech forests dominated by Fagus sylvatica ). The oak forests occupy the lower lying areas and the beech and coniferous forests the higher areas. The grasslands are predominantly found at high altitudes above the tree line. Total Area (ha)

1868.31 165.41 Deciduous mesophilous forests Deciduous termophilous forests Coniferous forests 8199.83 14333.49 Shrublands-Dwarf shrubs

Grasslands 3454.06 Landslides and badlands

5208.15 698.47 Artificial habitat

Percentage of Total Park Area (Land)(%)

0.49 Deciduous mesophilous forests 5.51 Deciduous termophilous forests Coniferous forests 24.17 42.25 Shrublands-Dwarf shrubs

Grasslands 10.18 Landslides and badlands

15.35 2.06 Artificial habitat

The diversity of geological substrata, with very ancient rock formation, since Palaeozoic time, the location at the interface between different biogeographic region (Balkan mountains, Mediterranean region and the southern limit of continental Europe), the large altitudinal gradient and the persistence of rare Tertiary relicts in Balkan refugia during the Glacial eras determined also a rich and interesting flora. We identified 26 target plant species of particular conservation interest (species with limited distribution, or threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria, or included in other international conventions). Of these, 23 are included in the red data list for Albania, including one that is Critically Endangered, five that are Endangered and seven that are considered Vulnerable. Two species are listed on the red data list for Europe and five on the world red data list. Eight of the listed species are endemic or sub-endemic to Albania and a further seven species are Balkan endemics.

Legend Definition Habitat Directive Code Habitat Legend Code Directive Color 1 High oro -Mediterranean pine forests 95A0 2 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba 6510; 6210 officinalis); Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates(Festuco-Brometalia) ( * important orchid sites) 3 Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation 8210 4 Pannonian -Balkanic turkey oak - sessile oak forests 91M0 5 Illyrian Fagus sylvatica forests (Aremonio -Fagion) 91K0

Fauna : The SJNP provide crucial habitat for numerous important animal species. Among the numerous mammal species, six are listed in Annex II of 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 ). We used a Standardized Biodiversity Index that measured species richness, rarity and vulnerability of the Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals taxa together in each cell. The indicator has been calculated for 54 cells out of 132 of all the grid (40.9% of the total grid surface).

Standardized Biodiversity Index (SBI) Legend:

Mammals: Data of mammal presence was collected in 37 cells out of 132 of all the grid (28.0% of the total grid surface). Recent field data confirms the presence of fourteen species of large and medium sized mammals, including several iconic species (e.g. bear and wolf), and two species listed in the IUCN “Red List of Albanian Fauna”, 2007 (Balkan Lynx, Critically Endangered and Otter, Near Threatened). The previous data of camera traps put by PPNEA activity across the park are not available for the DSS; we used only the photographs taken by the IUCN cameras.

Mammals Richness Legend:

Birds: 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 Annex II of the Bern Convention (“Strictly protected fauna species”). We estimated the presence in 20 cells and the abundances in eight cells out of 132 of all the grid (15.2% of

the total grid surface).

Birds Richness Legend:

Reptiles: Haixhiu (1998) recorded 10 species of reptiles in the SJNP Park, we collected opportunistic observations of 14 species (field surveys 2013), and IUCN reference 15 species. No information is available on species distributions and population trends. Reptiles Richness Legend:

Amphibian: data of amphibian presence in 13 cells out of 132 of all the grid (9.8% of the total grid surface). The web site “Balcanica.info - Amphibians and Reptiles of the Balkans“ (http://en.balcanica.info/35-0 ) recorded eight species of amphibians, five species were recorded in our field activities, and ten amphibians are listed by IUCN. Information about species occurrence and their distribution is incomplete. No information is available on species distributions and population trends.

Amphibians Richness Legend:

Fresh Water Fish: Presence in eight cells out of 132 of all the grid (6.1% of the total grid surface). Fourteen freshwater fish species were recorded during previous research in the Shkumbini River, close to the Park (Cake and Miho 2005). Two species are categorized as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List: ( Rutilus rubilio and Barbus meridionalis ) and one as Critically Endangered ( Anguilla anguilla ). The status of a colour variation of Salmo trutta , present in the streams of Shebenik-Jabllanicë area, still needs to be assessed. Information about species occurrence and their distribution is largely incomplete. No information is available on species distributions and population trends. Fresh Water Fish Richness Legend:

Invertebrates: Ten species are listed in the DSS database, but only 4 species have the IUCN Red List categories (dragonfly and saproxylic beetles; Kalkman et al 2010; Nieto and Alexander 2010 respectively). Aracnida are not classified yet, so in the vulnerability table are classified as Not Evaluated. In the DSS the total number of species is 10, while there are 4 for the vulnerability, rarity and CBI index calculations. We collected data of Invertebrate presence in 14 cells out of 132 of all the grid (10.6% of the total grid surface).

Invertebrates Richness Legend:

Ecosystem services:

Agricultural activities and agricultural and livestock products are most important in the economy and social life of the communities. Agricultural land is under family ownership. The district used to have a nationally famous tobacco industry but this has now collapsed. Livestock and poultry numbers are increasing, through use of modern technology and means interlinked with traditional ones. Livestock breeding is dominated by goats and sheep, whilst gjedhi cattle play an important role in the flatter areas. It is estimated that the available pastures in the SJNP will not be able to sustainably maintain the present number of livestock in the area. Agriculture: Agricultural land (11,641 ha) accounts for one third of the Park and includes arable lands; orchards and vineyards; pastures and meadows, but excludes rangelands. Around 60% of the agricultural land is cultivated, although the proportion of cultivated land varies considerably between communes, from 32% in Stebleve to 70% in Rrajce. The reason for the relatively high proportion of fallow land is mainly due to the fact that part of the agricultural land is unproductive. During the Communist period this land was converted to agricultural use but, in fact, the terrain was not very productive; after the Communist era all land (including this unproductive land) was re-allocated based on Law n.7501. The bulk of the cultivated land is Crops productions for the year 2011 Tons: used for cereals (e.g. 46% in ) and fodder (e.g. 44% in Cereals 14.499 Hotolisht) while only a limited Vegetables (tomatoes, pepper s, cucumber s and melons ) 7.636 portion is for vegetables (e.g. 7% in Hotolisht) and fruit (e.g. 3% in Potatoes 1.295 Hotolisht). Beans 104 According to local knowledge most fruit production is for self-consumption. There is a single wine factory in Librazhd (operational since 1968 and previously the wine was well-known in Albania). Now it imports grapes from Macedonia. Fruit is processed at home (jam, dried fruit) and is only for self-consumption. The farming system is extremely fragmented (average farm size ranges from 0.78 to 1.40 ha in the different Communes of the area), a characteristic usually associated with limited capacity to access markets. Around 65% of local farms have a physical size of up to 1 ha (and in some Communes this percentage increases, up to 76% in Rrajce).There are no big farms in Rrajce and Lunik, only 4 in Qender, 2

in Qukes, 1 in Stebleve and 1 in Hotolisht (under Albanian law, a big farm is above either 10 ha or 8 cattle or 150 sheep/goats). Livestock: Total livestock numbers in 2011 were 11,240 cows, 29,100 sheep and 17,900 goats . There were also over 5,000 beehives; around 10 farms own a relatively large number of beehives (from 50 to 200 beehives each), while the others have fewer than 50 each. According to local knowledge, honey production is organic (produced from flowers of çai malit and chestnut). Livestock products include milk and cheese (no quantitative data are available for cheese production; the quantity of milk produced is around 31,000 tons per year, and includes bovine and ovine milk). There is a small number of baxhos (cheese processing factories) which operate seasonally: three baxhos in Qarrishte; one in Hotolisht and one in Rrajce/Skanderbej (production is sold exclusively in Durres). Rrajce was well known for its dairy production (using natural rennet but this is not used any more). Forests and other biological resources make an important contribution to community welfare. The SJNP is rich in medicinal, aromatic and nutritional plants (Thymus sp ., Gentiana lutea, Sideritis syriaca, Hypericum perforatum, Satureja montana and Origanum vulgare ). These are mainly collected from the wild, but for some species production is augmented through cultivation. In some areas employment in the forestry sector and in the collection and treatment of medicinal and aromatic plants are essential economic activities. Wood and timber from natural forests are the primary energy source for cooking and heating and material for rural construction. The forest area also is used for harvesting of fodder and grazing of livestock. Cultural System: The Park includes a number of historical sites, such as Scanderbeg’s staircase and Scanderbeg’s table, and cultural features, such as natural caves (e.g. "Glacier", "Christ's" and the "Eremite" caves), some of which have paintings on the walls. Other cultural values include the ancient village of Qutesi and the continued existence of traditional skills relating to aspects such as the carving of wood products; the manufacture of stone items such as mill stones; construction of stone houses; the manufacture of traditional costumes and the performance of traditional dances. The Ethnographic Museum in Librazhd, although substantially damaged, represents an important local repository of cultural history and knowledge. An annual cultural fair is held in Stebleve. Cultural features are considered collectively as part of tourism attractions.

Park accessibility: (Roads, Trails and Tracks)

Water Network:

Streams: Numerous streams and rivers originate in the Park. During the surveys carried out in 2012 and 2013, different water samples have been collected and analyzed to assess the Ecological and Environmental class of the main SJNP streams. Monitoring parameters included: - physical characteristics (EC, Ph, Temperature); - heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni); - macropollutants (BOD, NH4, NO3, P and Escherichia Coli). With reference to Ecological Class, the most of the sampled streams sections showed a relative good status with a score of 2 in the range 1(very good)-5(very bad); the only section with a score of 3 belongs to the Shkumbini river, just downstream the urban area of Librazhd. This evidence can be explained with the lack of any wastewater management system for this village. Moreover, the analysis showed the presence of important concentrations of lead in some of the collected samples, causing the attribution of the class “Poor” for the Environmental Class indicator. Two hydropower plants are already in operation in the Park resulting in the diversion of water from considerable lengths of the two interested streams. Plans have already been approved for the construction of additional hydropower plants in the Park, some of which are already under construction. Unfortunately, no data have been collected for the indicator Discharge, so, at this time, it’s not possible to assess the real impact of the Hydropower plants on the streams water flow and on the related ecosystem components. Lakes: According to field observations different types of lakes occur in the Park. These include: - natural alpine lakes, - artificial lakes for irrigation. The collected data (EC, TDS, Ph, Temperature) allow a preliminary assessment of lake water quality. Low electrical conductivity and TDS (below 100 µs/cm), together with low temperature (12 °C) and mid Ph values (alkaline to slightly acidic) suggest minimal human impacts on water quality. The surveys carried out between spring 2012 and summer 2013 show conditions of limited anthropogenic impact on these kind of water bodies. Consequently, the LTI monitoring protocol is not implemented . Springs: A large number of natural springs are wides pread in the Park. Springs play an important role as sources of drinking water in the area. Monitoring parameters included: spring discharge, if possible; hydro-chemical status parameters (GCS index): SO 4, Fe, Mn, Cl, NO 3, NH 4; physical characteristics (EC, pH, Temperature, TDS) microbiological analysis. The surveys carried out during 2012 and 2013 achieved to assess the Groundwater Chemical Status for about 20 different springs showing a very good hydro chemical status for the SJNP groundwater. The only issue to face in the framework of the Park management options is related to the microbiological contamination of sources used for drinkable purposes by villages. Sometimes even the presence of Escherichia Coli bacteria (fecal contamination) has been found, probably due to the lack of sewerages or other wastewater management systems.

Main Threats:

Natural System Key direct threats to the natural system include modification and loss of habitat, overuse of resources, and pollution. No specific threats have been identified as to the presence of alien invasive species or, as yet, relating to climate change.

Water Resources: Threats to water resources include the diversion of streams and springs for hydropower development, which will impact directly on aquatic organisms (amphibians, fresh water fish, and invertebrates); and localized pollution resulting from the direct discharge of wastewater into streams and from mining activities (mining and quarrying -causing heavy metal pollution). According to local information and preliminary qualitative data mining and quarrying cause localized water heavy metal pollution in water bodies. Other potential issues such as the siltation of water courses and pollution resulting from the dumping of solid waste were not identified as being a threat in this area.

Plant and Animal: The main threat to forests is deforestation due to harvesting for fodder, timber and firewood (forest-related economic activities), particularly in deciduous termophilous forests. Fire was considered to have previously contributed to deforestation of the sub-montane portion (deciduous termophilous forests), but currently is not considered to be a serious problem. Overharvesting and/or destructive harvesting of medicinal plants was identified as a threat to certain species associated with grassland communities, particularly the Albania endemic Gentiana lutea (non- timber forest products). Plant and animal species are primarily threatened by inappropriate forms of use and/or overuse of resources, for example, due to the diversion of water resources for hydropower; overharvesting and destructive methods of collection of medicinal plants (non-timber forest products ), harvesting of forest resources (firewood and lumber) and fire; illegal fishing practices (fish catch); hunting and poaching of wildlife (wildlife meat); and extraction of peat (used as fuel) from the small bogs scattered in the Park. No threats were identified relating to grazing by livestock, nor to other development activities such as the construction of roads, buildings (including infrastructure for tourism). However, it should be noted that no information was available concerning roads or buildings or tourist infrastructure. .