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The territory of Albania includes a wide range of habitats and biodiversity. In the 3rd published volume of “Flora of Albania” Lamiaceae family is recognized as Labiatae family and includes 32 genera. The aim of this study is to bring an update of data on one of the large families of “Flora of Albania”, Lamiaceae family. First, this study refers to “Flora of Albania” volumes, as the only complete publication for the Albanian flora. Most of the data for the critical revision has been extracted from literature, such as the four volumes of “Flora of Albania”, the five volumes of the “Flora Europaea”, the MedChecklist and the Euro+Med Plantbase. Two genera: Acinos Miller and Calamintha Miller did not exist so far, and now this two genera are part of Clinopodium L. genus. From 276 taxa of this family only 143 remain unchanged like in the 3rd edition of “Flora of Albania”, whereas 133 taxa are new for Albania (with changed species/subspecies names or not even found in any of “Flora of Albania” published volumes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shebenik - Jabllanica National Park was proclaimed by Albanian Government with special Decision nr. 640 of May, 21st 2008 as "Protected Area" of the second Category. This area lies in north-east of Librazhdi town, and is situated at the bordering area among Albania and Macedonia, with surface 33 927,66 ha and altitude that vary from 300 m a.s.l. to 2244 m a.s.l. The Park is of a great interest from the point of nature conservation being home of extremely valuable natural habitats, flora and wildlife fauna as well. In this article are described some of the National Park habitats types which belong to the determinations and codes of Directive 92/43/EEC and is presented their spatial coverage by mapping, using geographical information software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an assessment on the current status of the habitats of European Conservation Interest along the Adriatic coast of Albania, both in terms of habitat size and quality. Through remote sensing and GIS changes in size and habitat composition and dynamics of coastal wetlands along Adriatic coast are assessed and reasons of such changes are discussed. Special attention is paid to priority habitats of EU Habitats Directive (43/92 CEE) occurring along the Adriatic coast, shown with an asterisk (*).The following 13 types of habitats are assessed:1130 Estuaries;1150 *Coastal lagoons; 1210 Annual vegetation of drift lines; 1410 Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi);1420 Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi);1510 *Mediterranean salt steppes (Limonietalia); 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes;2120 Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria ('white dunes'); 2190 Humid dune slacks dominated by Erianthus ravennae and Schoenus nigricans; 2250 * Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp.;2270 * Wooded dunes with Pinus pinea and/or Pinus pinaster;91F0 Riparian mixed forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior or Fraxinus angustifolia, along the great rivers (Ulmenion minoris);92A0 Salix alba and Populus alba galleries. Each habitat type has been assessed based on naturalness degree, distribution pattern, and threatening factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Although Albania's territory is small, its natural heritage is characterized by a high diversity of ecosystems and habitats and a considerable species richness. This diversity is attributable to the country's geographic position (at the interface of three important regions: the Balkans, the Mediterranean region and southern continental Europe), as well as geological, hydrological, climatic, soil diversity, and a large altitudinal range. The study of the vegetation of Albania begun, apart from a few pioneer works, in the late 1980s. However, only recently Albanian authors adopted the Zurich-Montpellier method. In the frame of a IUCN project (2012-2014) the study of vegetation of two Albanian Protected Areas (PAs) has been carried out. These PAs were the Buna River Protected Landscape (BRPL) and the Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park (SJNP). We conducted an intensive field campaign (532 phytosociological relevés) to investigate all the vegetation communities present in the PAs. Here the resulting Vegetation Database of Albania (GIVD ID: EU-AL-001) is presented. The BRPL (20.000 ha) comprises both the alluvial plain of the lower course of the Buna river which marks the boundary between Montenegro and Albania, a carbonatic range and a narrow dune system along the Adriatic sea. Between 1947 and 1980 about 36 km2 of agricultural lands were reclaimed, at the expense of wetlands. Despite these changes the vegetation is characterized by a high β-diversity (27 alliances and 46 associations), especially in wetlands and dry grasslands. The SJNP (33.928 ha) is located along the border with Macedonia. The biodiversity of the SJNP is a complex and dynamic result of several factors: the wide altitudinal range (roughly 300-2200 m a.s.l.), and the land use that, combined with large gradients of geological (conglomerate and sandstone- limestone-ultramaphic rocks) topographical and climatic diversity, have determined a high diversity of vegetation communities. In 2016 a new Italian development cooperation between IUCN and the Italian Botanical Society aimed at several objectives and activities among which the vegetation investigation of another five PAs in Albania, and the preparation of a preliminary list of Natura 2000 sites for the whole country, has started. A new field campaign has already been carried out, so that this database will soon host relevés from all over the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]