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"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion, an island has disappeared

2025-05-03 19:24:47Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion,
"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion, an island has disappeared

More than 150 km of the Adriatic coast, out of a total of 270 km, have been affected by the phenomenon of erosion. Shocking episodes include the destruction of a protected pine forest, the destruction of villas equipped as beach kiosks, and the disappearance of the island that the Austrians dedicated to Franz Joseph I. “ Climate change and wild construction from hypertourism are turning into a deadly mix,” writes the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica”.

From Velipoja, where the force of the waves is turning a centuries-old pine forest to ash, to Golem, where cementing is accelerating erosion, the Albanian coast is suffering badly. It is the fault of a deadly mix that adds global warming and chaotic urbanization from overtourism.

NASA: Seas have risen by 10 centimeters in the last 30 years

Sea level rise is affecting the entire planet. According to NASA, from 1993 to 2023, the average sea level on Earth has risen by 10 cm. In Albania, where tourism has exploded (from 5.9 million visitors in 2018 to over 10 million in 2023), the spread of hotels, restaurants and beach bars is also causing consequences in nature.

"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion,

“Of the 273 kilometers of coastline washed by the Adriatic Sea, 154 km are affected by erosion,” Besjana Shehu, an urban planning specialist, told Agence France Presse. In Velipojë, in the far north of the country, the sea advances by more than 5 meters every year and penetrates more than 200 meters into the forest, threatening an entire ecosystem that cannot survive in salt water. On the coast, pine trees are barely resisting the aggressiveness of the waves. Dozens of tree trunks lie stranded in the sand, some abandoned after violent storms in the last days of April.

The island discovered by the Empire's cartographers

Although Franz Josef Island, at the mouth of the Buna River, still exists in tourist guides and on maps, it has been gone since 2012, swallowed by the sea. Named by Austrian cartographers in 1870 in honor of the former emperor, the island was the result of fertile alluvial deposits. 150 meters from the coast, its 19.5 hectares were covered with forests and wild vegetation.

“A paradise for many species of seabirds, a haven of peace for us too… completely disappeared,” says Lule Coli, manager of a small beach bar. The island gradually disappeared, victim of rising water levels and erosion. But the construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants in the region turned out to be a decisive factor, which accelerated its disappearance, emphasizes Ervis Krymi, professor of geography.

"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion,

The residents of Kuna, a few kilometers to the south, are also worried. Year after year, sea storms increase and the coast now resembles a tree cemetery. “ Due to climate change in recent years, the sea has become very aggressive, advancing towards the land at a frenetic pace ,” warns Jak Gjini, an environmental expert from Lezha. Swallowed by the waves, the bunkers built along the coast by the Albanian communist dictatorship in the 1970s have disappeared. This has also displaced the small seaside bars managed by local families. The force of the sea was such that even bags filled with sand were of no use.

The regime's sunken bunkers

“There used to be two bunkers here. Now they are underwater. The sea is coming and it will take everything away from us… in four or five years there will be nothing left,” says Vera Faslliaj, who runs a small restaurant called “Poseidon.” She says this in a trembling voice, as if she hopes the Greek god of the sea will protect her.

"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion,

Albanian authorities say that rising sea levels pose serious flood risks for most of the country's urban areas. "In total, by 2030, approximately 1,082.45 km2, or 32% of the coastal habitat area, will suffer the direct consequences of flooding," the Civil Emergency Agency estimates.

In Golem, 49 km southwest of Tirana, hotel owners are concerned about the authorities' indifference to finding solutions and stopping uncontrolled urbanization on the coast. " The sea is waiting for the authorities to wake up ," complains Edvin Dule, the hotel manager.

"La Repubblica" sounds the alarm: Albania is being eroded by erosion,

Over the last 16 years, the beach has lost about 70 meters of coastline (the proliferation of hotels has further worsened the erosion) and is reducing the sand on which it relies to attract tourists. “It is a very worrying phenomenon that has a direct impact on the economy and tourism. If we fail to provide conditions, umbrellas, sun loungers, beach activities… we reduce the quality of our offer, which then translates into numbers”, – concludes Dule. / La Repubblica

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