The forests in Albania have suffered major exploitation in the past 25 years, so the Albanian government has decided to prohibit logging in the next 10 years as to help the woods regenerate, according to the Independent Balkan News Agency (IBNA).
Prime Minister, Edi Rama, stated that “the destruction of woods, river beds, destruction of protective infrastructure, the embankment of drainage canals has led us over the years to the edge of an abyss, which we have tried to prevent for two years, but today, after two years, we are ready to take one further step with the approval of the ten year moratorium.”
This destruction is caused by greedy people who took advantage of the Albanian woods, using goods that didn’t belong to them, as Rama added. Of the 1.5 million hectares of wood and 480,000 hectares of vegetation, only 400 hectares of true forests have survived.
Lefter Koka, the Albanian minister of Environment, said that in the past two year, there have been 7200 inspections that led to 1030 fines and 70 people to being prosecuted.
At the moment, the rest of the forests are turning into low forests, bushes and barren land. Certain areas are even turning into dessert, making it unnatural for a country in the Mediterranean.
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