Dr. Mauro Ghirotti, Programme coordinator, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, said: “It is very positive and motivating to see that our constant support to safeguard Albanian natural heritage and the results of the scientific work carried out with key Albanian, Italian and international institutions in assisting national authorities in decision and policy making, regarding the management of protected areas, materialise in concrete actions to preserve Velipojë.”

The NAPA and Park managers will ensure the centre’s maintenance and proper future use, assisting and informing the park visitors. The Centre will be a departure point for guided tours in the Velipojë Protected Landscape, and promote a variety of new tourism infrastructure such as the hiking and biking trails along the Buna River and the birdwatching tower that can be used by visitors as well as for scientific purposes.

Protected areas have great potential for the development of sustainable tourism; they can improve the socio-economic status of the local communities while contributing to biodiversity conservation. “In Albania we witness a growing trend in tourism development and an increased number of visitors in protected areas. This has to be backed by proper visitor infrastructure and interpretation skills of park authorities”, said Mr. Boris Erg, Director of IUCN’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “IUCN is committed to supporting the Albanian authorities in the development of sustainable tourism in protected areas, including visitor management planning, development of soft tourism infrastructure, and capacity building for interpretation and visitor management”, Mr Erg concluded.