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Divjaka (Albania) (AFP) – Experts say that thousands of migratory birds failed to make their annual visit this winter to Albania’s west coast. This is due to climate change, overfishing, and urbanisation.
The number of waterbirds recorded in January 2022 in the Divjaka-Karavasta wetlands — an internationally important wintering site along the European migratory flyway –- was 25 percent lower than at this time last year.
The decline was noted in Western Albania at the International Waterbird Census. This three-day global event monitors waterfowl migration patterns around the world and is held every year. Taulant Bino, from the Albanian Ornithological Society, said that the decline has affected several species.
“We discovered that about 9,000 waterbirds have disappeared from the Divjaka-Karavasta lagoons compared to last years,” Ardian Koci said, head of the Divjaka-Karavasta National Park. This is where the protected wetlands can be found.
Koci told AFP a total of 25,000 birds were counted in Divjaka-Karavasta -– one of the most important wetland ecosystems in the Mediterranean — during the census on January 15-16, as compared to 34,000 in the survey a year earlier.
Koci explained that there are many reasons, but the most important is global warming.
Nexhip Hysolokaj said that scientists in Albania had observed a rapid decline on migratory bird species over the past three year.
Weather patterns that disrupt the normal
While scientists agree that more research needs to be done to determine how climate change is affecting birds’ health, others point out that warmer temperatures mean certain species don’t have to move from their northern breeding grounds in winter to find food farther south.
“If there aren’t extreme temperatures in northern Europe, they prefer not to move, or they just migrate over shorter distances,” said Mirjan Topi, the author of the first guide to Albania’s birds.
Many species of migrating geese, including the Greylag Goose and the White-fronted Goose have failed to make their winter pilgrimage from Albania’s marshes in recent years.
The western lagoons are also home to Greater Flamingos (and Dalmatian Pelicans), which have three-metre wingspans rivaling that of the albatross.
Experts warn that the unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting the breeding cycle for the iconic pelican, causing fragmented populations to be a concern for its long-term stability.
In 2021, the pelicans started breeding at the beginning of January. The nesting season didn’t begin until the end January this year. This was a significant difference after a winter that began exceptionally late.
“The pelican breeding seasons seems to be behind last years,” Sajmir Hoxha of the French conservation group Noe said to AFP.
Meanwhile, illegal fishing has depleted vital food sources in Albania’s lagoons, and rapid urbanisation is threatening fragile ecosystems, especially in the network of marshes and sand dunes along the tourist magnet that is the Adriatic coast.
An international airport, which will be sprawling and located near the Vjosa–Narta region’s protected marshlands, is being built to increase the pressures. It will be located just south of Divjaka–Karavasta.
Topi stated that the 100-million-euro ($114 million) project is supported by a Turkish-Swiss group.
© 2022 AFP
