Divjaka Karavasta National Park
Divjaka Pines National Park is 40 km from the town of Lushnja or 5 km from Divjaka. It has an area of 1,250 hectares, making part of the Karavasta Lagoon under the protection of Ramsar International Convention since 1994. Here is one of the most important ecosystems in Albania. The fauna of the Divjaka National Park is particularly rich with the “curly”/Dalmatian pelican here constituting about 5 percent of world population of this type of pelican. The Karavasta provides important spawning and nursery habitat for economically valuable fish species that are exploited by a local fisheries cooperative. The area is valued for its biodiversity, the beauty of its natural landscape, its role in the local economy (it hosts lagoon fisheries, vegetable and livestock farming) and for its touristic appeal (the natural beach attracts annually 300,000 visitors). Thanks to the support by the Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA for the conservation of the Divjaka-Karavasta National Park, local authorities and stakeholders – inhabitants, farmers, fishermen and service providers increasingly work together for the sustainable management of the area, including the lagoon, the surrounding coastal plain and its hilly hinterland.
