Landcover and Landuse Changes of Albanian National Parks and Their Main Management Challenges (Case Studies: NPs of Albanian Alps, Tomorri Mountain and Divjaka-Karavasta)

Albania is rich in natural areas and heritage, ranking it among the important countries in Southeastern Europe in terms of the ratio of natural heritage over the country's total area. In the last decades, the pressure on the nature and heritage has caused their degradation and loss, which makes it necessary that the efforts for environmental and natural heritage preservation in Albania to be based not only on the identification and declaration of natural heritage areas, but also on the implementation of European and global regulations and Directives. The process of Albania’s Integration to EU and the sustainable development require the adaptation and in some cases even the convergence of National Laws on Protected Areas with those of the European Union. It is important that the adaptation of the legislation to be followed by its implementation and strengthening of the capacities of the National Network of Environmental Protected Areas and the Ecological Network to achieve the protection and well management of Albania's natural heritage, based on EU standards and Directives. The main objective of the papers is to identify and analyze the main changes in the Land Cover and Land Use of the National Parks (NPs) in Albania (Category II) using GIS/RS in three important NPs (Albanian Alps, Tomorri Mountain, Divjaka-Karavasta). It also aims to identify the main threats and pressures they are facing and to offer real life solutions for each of them based on the directives and successful practices from European Union.