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| Karaburin Peninsula |
The Maritime Park Karaburun-Sazan, Albania's first and only marine protected area, is involved in a 3-year (2018-2020) project, funded by the Italian Government (the Italian Agency for Co-operation and Development), which aims to protect the biodiversity, the state of the ecosystem and provide a sustainable source of tourism development and economic growth through this protected area.
The reducion of pollution or cooking oil recycling is part of a very important initiative to protect and maintain the Karaburun-Sazan Peninsula. As one of the project components, recycling involves the protection of the ecosystem from an often unreasonable risk such as the pouring of cooking oils to the Sea, mainly by the restaurants around this park.
UNDP, in cooperation with the National Agency for Protected Areas, project implementers, announced that, in addition to cleaning out the plastics or other contaminants, since June last year, is achieved the cooperation with 24 economic operators (mainly hotels and restaurants) operating around this ecosystem, to apply the collection of used cooking oil to special tanks. They are assisted by specialized recycling companies that inform them of the recycling initiative that protects the biodiversity of this Park.
Up to now there are over 1800 kg of oil collected and sent to specialized recycling companies. While sensitization and the hard work of AKZM employees is expanding this initiative to other hotel-tourism entities, giving a new breath to the protection of fauna and flora in the Karaburun-Sazan Maritime Park, considered as the precious attraction of this park.
Karaburun-Sazan Maritime Park, contains the ruins of ancient Greek, Roman, and World War II ships. This rich underwater ecosystem, with its limestone cliffs, giant caves and isolated beaches, also boasts by the ancient inscriptions of seafarers on the shore.
Of course, this stunning beauty attracts many visitors and tourists from different countries. While the employment in the region, in the tourism, fisheries and aquaculture sector, in recent years has marked a considerable increase in parallel with the explosive influx of tourists visiting this area, the gem of the Albanian Riviera, offering opportunities for boating, fishing, diving and exploration of the underwater world.