Narta Lagoon (2903)
Albania, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Laguna e Nartes
Central coordinates: Latitude: 40.5793, Longitude: 19.4303
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 196.2938
Protected area coverage (%): 98.26
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Narta is one of the largest and most important coastal wetlands of Albania. The site comprises a large, shallow and brackish lake (Lake Nartes) and a number of coastal lagoons between the Vjose river delta and the city of Vlore. Large parts of the area have been converted into agricultural land or saltpans. The lake surface decreases by 30% (especially when the connection with the sea is blocked) during the summer and large mudflats are exposed which support saltmarsh. Coastal habitats include dunes, beaches and rocky shores, with Pinus pinea and Pinus halepensis. Surrounding habitats consist of olive-groves, pine plantations and scattered poplar plantations. The site includes the small Pishe Poro lagoon (former (1989) IBA AL011). Previously, the Narta lagoon IBA also included the Karaburun peninsula and Sazan island, but these are now included in site 010.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mediterranean Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and global threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: An important site for wintering and migratory waterfowl, especially Pelecanus crispus; 19,663 waterfowl were counted in January 1996, and 81,223 individuals counted in 1997. No waterbird breeding colonies seem to occur around the lagoon (1996). It is considered as a potentially very favourable site for the globally threatened Numenius tenuirostris.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | fisheries/aquaculture (40%) | forestry (10%) | hunting (100%) | military (5%) | tourism/recreation (5%) | water management (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 10 | |
| Grassland | 20 | |
| Marine Neritic | 3 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 19 | |
| Forest | 10 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 19 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 19 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are water pollution from a hydrochloric acid factory located on the north-east shore, urban expansion, deforestation, overgrazing, disturbance to birds, dynamite fishing, hunting, tourism and land claim for enlarging the saltpans. A management plan will be prepared as part of a GEF Biodiversity project, coordinated by the Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Intentional use: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Flight paths | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Only in the future | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future |