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The location of the Albanian Tulip is declared a "Natural Monument", but the challenges for its protection are great

2023-03-19 20:14:30Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA RAIMOND KOLA
The location of the Albanian Tulip is declared a "Natural Monument",
Tulipa albanica

The location of the Albanian Tulip (Tulipa albanica), with an area of ​​about 35.5 hectares, was declared a "Nature Monument", Category III, by the Albanian Government in recent days.

This species was discovered in 2010 by Professor Lulëzim Shuka and Kit Tan from the University of Copenhagen, and is represented by a very small population of about 300 plants in the area of ​​Kolshi in Kukës.

For this reason, Prof. Lulezim Shuka and the researcher Besnik Hallaçi, who is no longer alive today, in 2018 put it on the Red List of Globally Endangered Species, evaluating it as "Critically Endangered".

The Albanian tulip is the only Albanian plant species with this status on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Professor Lulëzim Shuka positively evaluates the government's decision to declare the Albanian tulip growing area a "Natural Monument".

"It's a good thing because it brings attention to the conservation of this really very interesting species. From a biological point of view, it is a species that is quite beautiful, it is similar to natural tulips, and maybe I think that with this new status, a good protection will be possible if the staff of the Agency of Protected Areas in Kukes will pay attention to it. right", he says.

Mr. Shuka further says that the new status should be accompanied by other measures for the protection of the Albanian tulip.

"In this area, in a small area where most of the plants are located, a guard should be placed. The area can be visited by certain groups, but always under the supervision of an employee of the Protected Areas in Kukes to stop plucking or other actions to the detriment of the tulip plants", he says.

Professor Shuka further says that "every motivation, every publication, every further recognition leads to an increase in visitation, but on the other hand, the danger that threatens this species also increases".

The professor of natural sciences says that he has made several attempts to cultivate tulip seeds in the Botanical Garden in Tirana and in the area of ​​Korca, but the efforts have been unsuccessful for its increase.

"The population of this plant is decreasing. Due to the misunderstanding but also the spread of the words that this species can be cultivated in other countries, it makes many lovers, maybe not, uproot it and transfer it to their gardens. This tulip cannot live outside its habitat in the Kukës area. It is a very interesting species from the point of view of adaptability in this environment. There are some cattle that in the popular language are called govata and this type of plant that grows in this environment has developed a very smart survival strategy. The govat-like leaf collects the water from the rains that fall and carries it through the stem to the bulb," he says.

Mr. Shuka says that there are two other places where this plant is found, while another tulip was discovered 5 years ago, the one from Kosovo in the area of ​​Has.

Professor Shuka says that in the last 12 years, 12 new species of plants have been discovered for Albanian science, where the latest one was discovered in the area of ​​Ksamil.

"The plant 'broom of Ksamil' (Limonium ksamilum) is the newest plant species of the genus Limonium endemic recently discovered for Albania, published by the world scientific journal "Phytotaxa" in July 2022. Due to its very limited distribution on the western coast of the Ksamil peninsula, the authors of the discovery named it "Limonium ksamilum", he says.

The professor of natural sciences says that the researchers of nature and its contributors should be supported. He appreciates the dedication of Besnik Hallaçi, the former leader of the protected areas in Kukës who failed to win the battle with "Covid 19" about 2 years ago.

"I have collaborated for a long time with my colleague Besnik Hallaçi, who is no longer alive. But his contribution, especially for the Kukës District, is incalculable. I say it was a big loss. And the bad thing is that there are often specialists who love nature, they work hard, they sacrifice a lot and the evaluation is very little, sometimes they even get fired," he says.

Albania, concludes Mr. Shuka, is losing a generation of botanists and young people do not tend to engage in scientific research, creating a big gap for the study of Albanian nature./ VOA

 


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