This electronic publication is comprised of cases of environmental crime reported by the media and environmental associations and developments around this issue in our country. It was created by environmental organization and members of the environmental crime advisory group in Albania as an instrument to collect and communicate specific cases of environmental crime with the help of law enforcement authorities.

Albania has been in a national emergency for about 30 years, especially the situation in the forests, returning to the mass fires that have been news for years in the summer season. One of the factors that conditions the fire regime is the environment, in terms of climatic, morphological conditions, land uses, and socio-economic aspects related to the human presence in the territories who self-determine the fire regime.

The reasons for the fall of fires are various, but in 99% of cases the occurrence of these fires is caused by humans (directly or indirectly), from which the evidence of the fall of fires for 2021 best prove this fact. While lightning or self-ignition of forests occurs only in 1% of cases.

By uniting their expertise, civil society, academics, and the media become an important factor in raising awareness at all levels and helping to increase the efficiency of the work of institutions to address these crimes.

In this context, REC Albania and the OSCE Presence in Albania have taken the initiative to publish a publication entitled “Environmental Crime Digest” with the contribution of all members of the Environmental Crime Advisory Group, as a useful contribution to strengthen a cooperation much needed among all civil society actors.

We hope that the issues included in this publication and those that will follow throughout the year provide recommendations, good practices, case studies and important information, to help relevant agencies make informed and evidence-based decision-making.

To download the newsletter, please click here: Environmental Crime Digest, December 2021.