MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE CONSERVATION OF SEA TURTLES & THEIR HABITATS IN ALBANIA Liza Boura, Dr. Michael White, Lily Venizelos MEDASSET - Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles 1c Licavitou St., Athens, Greece; e-mail: medasset@medasset.org STRATEGY FORMULATION
INTRODUCTION Within its sea turtle conservation project throughout the Mediterranean, MEDASSET carried out research, local capacity building and awareness-raising from 2008 to 2010 through the project: “Monitoring and Conservation of Important Sea Turtle Feeding Grounds in the Patok Area of Albania”. Albania is a country in transition: a former communist country ruled under dictatorships and a regime of self-isolation for 56 years, that resulted in economic poverty. Its current gross domestic product remains the lowest per inhabitant among the current EU Member States. International aid and limited government and private funding are mainly streamlined into combating poverty, corruption, lack of infrastructure and pollution, among others. Raising funds for this project was an uphill struggle, until UNEP/MAP, RAC/SPA and GEF/SGP came to the rescue.
The challenges and limitations faced during the project led to an assessment of the factors that constrain sea turtle conservation in Albania, e.g.: lack of funding, basic infrastructure, research and rescue facilities, skills and expertise; absence of a culture of volunteerism; little public and stakeholder concern for sea turtles and the environment; the great potential and interest of biology students who participated in the project’s training programme. An assessment of the legal & institutional framework was carried out and included: review of existing legislation; identification of stakeholders at national &regional levels; meetings with relevant officials to record current responsibilities, positions & plans; and evaluation of oversight & inspection procedures. These elements, in combination with the research results, were synthesised into a workable and enforceable Management Strategy for the Conservation of Sea Turtles and their Habitats in Albania. During July-October 2011, key stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the document. On 24 October 2011, local, regional and national authorities, Albanian NGOs, fishermen and Albanian researchers participated in a stakeholder workshop organised by MEDASSET to record final feedback and proposed changes to the Management Strategy. This document will be submitted to the Ministry Environment, Forests and Water Administration (MoEFWA) and is expected to be adopted in 2012 either as a Species Action Plan or as part of the Biodiversity Strategy that is in preparation by the MoEFWA.
OBJECTIVES
ACTION PLAN
The Management Strategy is based on four objectives: Objective 1: Establishment of sea turtle conservation as a national priority
The action plan for the implementation of these objectives includes:
Young fisherman lifting loggerhead caught in “stavnike” fish trap at Patoku
The 3-year research confirmed that Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas are present in Albanian waters and that Drini Bay is as an important foraging area, a refuge and part of a key migratory corridor (White et al 2010, 2011, in prep). Key threats were identified through surveys and systematic monitoring.
24 October 2011. Tirana. Stakeholder Workshop. Top: MEDASSET, MoEFWA, RAC/SPA. Bottom: One of the four working groups of the meeting discussing the proposed Management Strategy.
Project trainee demonstrating research methods. Further training is necessary as there is little national expertise in marine research.
Action 1A. Appointment of National Authority responsible for sea turtle conservation Action 1B. Establishment of Scientific Consultative Committee Action 1C. Inter-institutional implementation of the sea turtle management strategy Action 1D. Education, Training and Awareness Raising: Academic & Professional Training; Primary & Secondary Level Education; Stakeholder Education; Public Awareness Raising Action 1E. Legislation amendments Local fishermen helping to remove barnacles
Further fishermen educational programmes are necessary:care for the species is of low priority to this impoverished community.
Juvenile C. mydas at Vlore (2009)
Action 2A. Research (proposals, approvals and permits) Action 2B. Delineation of National Sea Areas Action 2C. Long-term monitoring of change in sea turtle populations Action 2D. Creation of a national tagging database Action 2E. Creation of a stranding network Action 2F. Sea turtle medicine development & Rescue Centre establishment Action 2G. Issue and suspension of Permits
Objective 3: Identification and mitigation of threats
Action 3A. Terms for removal of sea turtles from the marine environment Action 3B. Safe-handling procedures for sea turtles Action 3C. Monitoring and reducing fisheries bycatch, illegal fishing and illegal trade Action 3D. Pollution reduction and waste management
Photo: M Mitro
Objective 2: Monitoring of sea turtle populations and habitats
Trawler fishing very close to shore of Patoku; water depth is about 5-6 m
Hook extracted from sea turtle at Patoku. There is no rescue centre or vets trained on sea turtle care in Albania.
Pollution at mouth of Ishmi river, Drini Bay
Acknowledgements: The stakeholder workshop was funded by the MAVA Garbage from restaurants thrown into Foundation and organised by MEDASSET in collaboration Patoku inner lagoon, Drini Bay. with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration, under the auspice of the Barcelona Convention and the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Actions Related to Objective 4: Objective 4: Identification and legal Protected Areas of UNEP/MAP. Special thanks to Elvana Identification of critical sea turtle habitats & legal protection protection of critical habitats & creation Ramaj, Marinela Mitro , Lazjon Petri and Enerit Establishment of MPAs of a functional network of protected Sacdanaku for their help during the feedback process Establishment of a Functional Network of MPAs areas and the workshop organisation. Literature cited: White M, Boura L, Venizelos L (2010) An overview of MEDASSET’s role in sea turtle research and conservation in Albania. Testudo 7(2): 43-54. White M, Boura L, Venizelos L (2011) MEDASSET’s three-year project: Monitoring an important sea turtle foraging ground at Patok, Albania. MTN in press White M, Kararaj E, Mitro M, Petri L, Saçdanaku E, Trezhnjevna B, Përkeqi D, Boura L, Robinson P, Venizelos L (in prep) Possible population structure for sea turtles at Drini Bay: an important nearshore foraging ground in Albania