Practical aspects of

facing up to and
adapting to climatic
changes from the
natural pastures
-From engineer. Ferdin LIÇAJ
engineer. Haki KOLA
National Association of forests and
communal pastures

Seminar per ndryshimte klimatike

 Current status of pasture eco-
systems
 Area of some 400 thousand acres of pasture is capabale of
sustaining roughly three million goats and sheep The current pasture
capacity has been estimated at about 0.9 sheep units per acre/year;
the current load of livestock in pastures is almost 7 times higher than
their pasture-sustaining capacity.

 Natural pastures and meadows are under the regime of unchecked

extensive grazing; for this reason alone the vegetation
covers/sealing have lost their natural equilibriums which relate to the
ratios of the make-up types of individuals of the plant associations;

 The shrubbery/brush of the Mediterranean coastline is into a

degradation process because of the over-exploitation of pastures,
periodical fires blazing in forests and the cutting-down of trees to
produce mainly firewood;
 Legal aspects
• The state does not breed/keep livestock;
• The state has under its ownership half of the pastures;
• The current law is rather vague in: defining ’property’,
• (ii) boundary lines, (iii) rights of use by facilitating the
otherwise tragedy of common property (no man’s).
• Menagerial aspects do not take fully into account teh
contractual arrangements with the traditional aspects;
• There are not as yet policies regarding the
differentiation of seasonal tariffs/fees for number of
livestock to fit in with the sustaining pasture capacities
by utilizing, say, steep tariffs when the demand
exceeds the capacity with the view to limiting and
placing checks on the number of livestock which can
be kept in a given season on each strip of land or
pasture commons.
 High pressure and lack of investments in forests
and pastures –a challenge for the indispensable
changes

• In 50 years’ time, half of the pastures have been converted into agricultural
land. The number of livestock has hit back the numbers peculiar to
communist period. The pasture is encroaching into the forests causing
damage to the newly-sprouted shoots or to the ones bent on growing;

• The pasture is realized as such in the forest funds and during the winter
period. The villagers collect and haul, as tradition indicates, the leaves of
oak trees to provide feed for their livestock during winter. The revenues
raised by the forest pastures stands at over 50 % of the total of revenues
garnered from agriculture. Yet that does not figure in the state released GDP
and not is returned in the form of investments towards increase of number of
livestock or improvements of forests
Direct consequences in the misfits of pasture
eco-systems towards the climatic changes

 Increasing the soil washing intensity which is

accompanied by the phenomenon of an increase in
the number of ground streamlets particularly in
inclines.

 A reduction in the participation of several species very

beneficial to the mosaic of the plant cover ( specifically
those with fodder value and rare species);
 Steps already under way

I. Transferal of ownership rights and the rights of use

from the state-owned regime into communal/house-
hold based level which is permeated through by an
agreement and the adoption of managerial
responsibilities on the part of the communities;
II. Making sure that ShPPKK is up and running in
most of communes and municipalities;
strengthening the capacities to enable the
sustainable warranted management of pasture
terrains and the conservation of biodiversity of
various species in natural biotopes.
 Measures meant for suitability
1. The implementation of the checked extensive grazing accompanied
by relevant infrastructure ( watering through spots; pathways into
pastures, and sheltering posts.);

2. Increase in the number of cattle and the extensive breeding in the

natural pastures mixed with the sheep/goats;

3. Breed improvement and the application of in-door feeding regime in

order to provide the necessary space to pastures to regenerate;

4. Steering of strategies and an increase of investments for the

development of a fodder-pasture managerial system which enable
the sustainable breeding process of goats and the rehabilitation of
degraded shrubbery;
 Other steps to be taken in the
future :
 Thorough transfer of pasture terrains under the
jurisdiction of communes/households, avoiding the
damage to the commons;

 Pastures should be joining livestock, that is they have to

be under the responsibility of the same ministry;

 Tightening the legal framework and the establishment of

structures concerning the enforcement of law that in turn
guarantee the sustainable management of pastures;

 Further development of agro-forestry in the rural areas as a

suitable alternative suitable to farmers’ economy on one
hand, and to the sustainable restructuring of natural
landscapes on the other hand.
 Thank you
WEBPAGE: www.SHKPKK.ORG