TIRANA, Dec. 21 – Logging companies have intensified their activities in Puka and Mirdita districts in northern Albania before a ten-year moratorium is set to kick off early next year, raising concerns about the disappearance of the last forest sanctuaries in the area.
Like elsewhere in Albania, deforestation has plagued the region throughout the years, leading the Albanian Parliament to adopt this month stiff legislation which foresees a ten-year ban on all logging in the country and also hefty fines for perpetrators beginning January 2016.
However, the measure seems to have proved counterproductive in the Puka region as news of impending restrictions has brought logging to an unprecedented scale in the last two-months.
The Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) rang the alarm bell in a declaration for the media saying it has documented an extraordinary increase of subjects, equipment as well as individuals mercilessly exploiting the last remaining wooded areas.
It estimates that the moratorium imposed will be of little value if the current exploitation frenzy continues as there will be little to nothing forested area left to be saved.
Hence, the agency called on authorities to act fast before the effort to save forests in Albania by imposing a ban proves too little, too late.
The situation in Munella Mountain also raises another alarm as it is home to the critically endangered Balkan lynx, of which only a handful of individuals are thought to still be roaming in this area.
Camera trappings have captured the presence of 4-6 individuals and thus dwindling habitat will almost certainly drive the species towards extinction.
Habitat loss seems to not be the only problem for the endangered species in Albania as news emerged last week that a lynx cub was killed by a local shepherd sparking an outcry among environmentalists.
