Canyons, caves, and ancient forests: Albania completes landmark two-year review of natural monuments
Albania has completed a two-year nationwide review and reassessment of its natural monuments, the Environment Ministry this week, ATA reports.
The process, carried out under legislation on protected areas, involved field assessments by experts, regional administrations, local authorities and communities, Environment Minister Sofjan Jaupaj said in a social media post.
“Each monument was assessed in the field, including its condition and natural values, while public consultations were held for each area,” Jaupaj said.
The National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM) and its field teams have completed the documentation, which has been submitted to the Environment Ministry for the next legal procedures, he said.
Jaupaj said the reassessment would provide a clearer basis for protecting and sustainably managing the country’s natural monuments by updating data, assessing their condition and identifying conservation and management needs.
“Natural monuments are an important part of Albania’s natural heritage. Completing this process is an important step towards strengthening their protection and preserving these assets for future generations,” he said.
The review aims to ensure that Albania’s network of natural monuments better reflects the country’s biodiversity and provides a stronger basis for their future protection, monitoring and management.
Under Albanian law, natural monuments include living and non-living natural features or areas with particular scientific, ecological, cultural, educational, aesthetic or religious value.
They include ancient or distinctive trees and groups of trees, as well as habitats and biotopes of endemic, rare, relict or endangered species covering up to 50 hectares.
Non-living natural monuments, or geo-monuments, include geological features such as visible tectonic formations and unique outcrops; geo-morphological features such as caves, canyons, dolines, cliffs and distinctive islands; and hydrographical features including karst and glacial lakes, thermal and mineral springs, waterfalls and wetlands.
Earlier, it was reported that 270,000 visitors had visited Kyrgyzstan’s natural reserves in 2025.
