An environmental atlas of Albania

Abstract

The focus of this study is an environmental atlas of Albania. Its objective is to contribute to the knowledge of public opinion and decision makers for a better understanding of the environment. The study also aims to find out the differences of environmental quality in the country for two periods of time: the situation from 1945 to 1990 and after the political changes in 1990. In order to achieve the objectives, wide ranges of data have been processed and ample literatures are consulted. To produce the maps the basic cartographic rules have also been applied. The European Union standards of the environmental quality are used to allow the comparisons. As the result of this study, an environmental atlas is developed, including maps and graphics covering the following topics: urban air quality, urban noise, forest fires, protected areas, urban waste, bathing water quality and surface water quality/river water quality. The findings indicate that the quality of the Albanian environment is comparable with the standards. With regard to the environment the major problems have been identified and the influencing factors have been presented.