About Us

The main objectives of ACEPSD are the followings:

• Minimizing and reducing the effects of industrialization in rivers, lakes, lagoons and seas (like hydrocarbon, marine and river litters etc.)
• Protecting the endangered species in rivers, lakes and seas (fish, mammals, reptiles etc.) and contributing on boosting the aquaculture and fisheries activities.
• Strengthening the protection of the endangered habitats by building partnerships with local and governmental authorities, international organizations, sensitizing the nearby present communities and strict monitoring of protected areas on coastal areas (land and sea).
• Boosting the economic and social development in rural and urban areas through the implementation of initiatives related to vocational training, environment protection, small scale agriculture, artisanal fisheries and sustainable aquaculture in a healthy environment.
• Supporting the scientific research on important environment issues, which are related to climatic changes, agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and environmental sciences.

In addition, ACEPSD is the only responsible organization for assessing the Karaburuni and Sazani MPA effects by the ecological and economic point of view. Following the ecological approach it was evaluated the Reserve Effect on fish Assemblages by analysing the Diversity, Abundance, Biomass and Predation rates of coastal fish species. On the economic approach it was used for the first time a monitoring protocol (developed in the framework of the Interreg-Med project FishMPABlue 2 – adopted in the 11 pilot MPAs). The Karaburun-Sazan MPA is extended close to the sea cage farms of Vlora Bay. It is also very important to note that for the first time in Albania, the fish assemblages was surveyed by deploying standard Baited Underwater Video systems (BUVs). BUVs represent a complementary method to Underwater Visual Census (UVC) to estimate fish abundance, diversity and size/biomass in both shallow and deep habitats. The principal advantages of such baited video sampling techniques are that they are not invasive or extractive and they might allow to record large mobile and predatory fish species that in some instances can avoid SCUBA divers. Such underwater video techniques can also overcome some safety issues related to working at high depths or under adverse environmental conditions for divers. And all the related activities were performed by the ACEPSD staff members.