Why wetlands matter

The Ramsar Convention (1971) defines wetlands broadly: marshes, fens, peatlands and waters, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, fresh, brackish or salt, including marine waters no deeper than six metres at low tide. Behind the legal wording sits something very practical. Wetlands clean water, store carbon, absorb floods and shelter a large share of Europe’s biodiversity. They are called the kidneys of the planet for good reason.

Albania has four Ramsar Sites: Karavasta Lagoon (1995), Butrint (2003), Lake Shkodra and River Buna (2006) and the Albanian Prespa Lakes (2013), along with wetlands of national value such as the Narta Lagoon. Too often their management follows short-term profit rather than the sustainability principles set by the Habitats and Birds Directives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

Why now

• The European Commission’s 2023 Report on Albania asks for further efforts on water and waste management, enforcement of environmental law and nature protection.

• The EU Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 entered into force on 18 August 2024. In Albania it is still little known.

• The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention has urged Albania to suspend works on Vlora Airport because of their impact on the Vjosa river mouth and the Narta Lagoon, a key stopover for migratory birds.

• The post-pandemic tourism boom has brought construction close to, and sometimes inside, wetland areas, often without proper wastewater treatment.

What we aim for

1. Knowledge of European integration and its historical, socio-economic and environmental dimensions in Albania.

2. Lasting partnerships between universities and the public bodies that manage wetlands.

3. Modernised curricula and critical thinking, built through case studies, problem-based learning and educational games.

4. Practical skills in policy analysis, advocacy and communication with EU institutions.

5. Digital capacity in GIS and Remote Sensing, so that decisions on wetlands rest on evidence.

Four fields, one module

• EU and environmental law: the Nature Directives, the Nature Restoration Regulation and the approximation of Albanian legislation.

• Environment and climate: water and air quality, wetlands as carbon sinks, adaptation and mitigation.

• Economy and society: valuing ecosystem goods and services, sustainable tourism, the communities that live by the water.

• GIS and Remote Sensing: mapping, monitoring and scenario modelling with Sentinel-2, QGIS, ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online.

How we teach

Every lecture has a seminar behind it, run in small groups of four or five. Participants work through real cases, take on the roles of the actors in a wetland conflict and solve educational escape rooms. Materials are shared in Google Classroom, and the practical work uses real satellite data from Albanian and EU wetlands.

Who can join

Master and PhD students from geography, biology, chemistry, environmental science, sociology, economics, law, tourism and spatial planning; academic staff and early-career researchers; protected-area staff; officers in municipal and central government; environmental NGOs; and residents of wetland areas. Participation is free and ends with a certificate.

Three years at a glance

• Year 1 (2025-2026): lectures (30 h) and seminars (28 h), Training I, Summer School I, field visit to Karavasta, the Module syllabus.

• Year 2 (2026-2027): lectures and seminars (35 h each), Training II, a workshop on the economic and social values of wetlands, field visit to Prespa, first scientific article.

• Year 3 (2027-2028): lectures and seminars (35 h each), Summer School II, field visit to Butrint, second scientific article, a policy paper and the final conference (70–90 participants).