Albania's New Airport Construction Threatens To Threaten Europe's Flamingo Sanctuary

Ilustrasi pelikan dan flamingo. (Wikimedia Commons / Yathin S Krishnappa)

JAKARTA - Plans to build Albania's largest airport could destroy one of Europe's most spectacular giant bird sanctuary, where the sound of trucks and excavators has spooked pelicans and flamingos, ornithologists say.

The picturesque Vjose-Narte lagoon in the shadow of the Albanian Thunderbolt Mountains on the Adriatic Sea, is an important stop for flocks of birds on their annual migration between Europe and Africa.

The area was declared a protected nesting and migratory area in 2004, and is home to 200 species of birds, citing Reuters February 1.

The government says the new airport in the lagoon will boost tourism along Albania's pristine Adriatic coast, but will comply with environmental regulations.

"We have respected every step, every timeline and every legal procedure of Albania, whether it is for a public consultation or how it will impact the environment," said Tourism and Environment Minister Mirela Kumbaro.

Separately, birdwatchers describe this part of Albania as one of the best places in Europe to see flocks of giant pink flamingos in flight.

Illustration of a flamingo. (Wikimedia Commons/JMGarg)

Mirjan Topi, an ornithologist with the Birds of Albania group, said the lagoon is daily home to about 1.5 percent of the entire global population of the great Dalmatian pelican, one of the world's largest flightless birds, which is in danger of extinction.

"If the airport is built, this beauty will be lost," he said worriedly.

He further said that the safety of the aircraft would be a concern, because of the danger of a collision with birds. However, the airport builder said the plane would not be in the bird's flight path.

"Airport flight plans, takeoff and landing predictions, do not affect the bird's path," Valon Lluka, who runs the project for Mabetex, the Swiss-based company that led the construction, told Reuters by email.

The runway is about 3.5 km (2.17 miles) from the bird shelter and 5 km (3.11 miles) from the main bird migration route along the coast, Lluka continued.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism accounted for 18 percent of Albania's economic output and generated one in every 10 jobs.

But if the goal is to boost tourism, 28-year-old Arsen Lambro, who runs a fish restaurant near the lagoon, said it was a mistake to destroy the local splendor for an airport.

"What will tourists find here? It's not only the food, but also the area that will bring in more tourists," he asked.