Albania

Albania is still in the process of political and economic transition after almost five decades of Communist rule that ended in the early 1990s. During that period, Albania's natural resources and raw materials were regularly exploited, and little was done to promote environmental awareness. Since the shift to a market economy, environmental problems have been further exacerbated as the country has become more urbanized and industrialized. Albania is still one of the poorest countries in Europe and is the least developed country on the continent. Because of its temperate climate, Albania experiences cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Destructive earthquakes often lead to major environmental damage, as do alternating floods and droughts.

Fluctuating weather conditions present great risks for the 57 percent of Albania's workforce who are engaged in the agricultural sector. Employing methods that protect the environment is difficult for Albanian farmers, who do not have the financial means to modernize equipment and who sometimes lack environmental knowledge. Almost 15 percent of the population is illiterate. Nevertheless, Albania has the potential for economic growth because of natural resources that include petroleum, natural gas, hydropower, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, and timber. Environmentally, the Albanian government is struggling to deal with deforestation, soil erosion, and water polluted by industrial and domestic effluents, but progress has been made. In 2006, a study by scientists at Yale University ranked Albania 57 out of 132 countries on environmental performance. Approximately 97 percent of the population have access to safe drinking water, and 89 percent have access to improved sanitation. The Albanian government has been relatively successful in promoting biodiversity. Of the 68 mammal species endemic to Albania, only three are threatened. Likewise, only three species of the 193 endemic bird species are threatened.