Deforestation and erosion

During the Stalinist period, Bishnica was developed into a logging center, so that up to 1,800 people lived there. Then as now, most families live as self-sufficient farmers. Great poverty and the need for firewood and timber led to massive deforestation. In the early 1990s, the mountains were essentially bare, as in many other regions of Albania. Without the protective plant cover, there was not only severe erosion, but also – due to the loose ground – many landslides.

Previous planting campaigns

2004: Trees for the Future, Bishnica

In collaboration with our partner organization Agrinas, which had been carrying out agricultural projects in Albania since the 1990s, we started the “Trees for the Future” project in 2004. Tree seedlings were grown in a small tree nursery: deciduous trees such as poplars, acacias and walnuts, which grow quickly and can therefore be planted in heavily eroded areas; but also fruit trees, which were intended to provide families with an additional source of income. These seedlings were then passed on to farmers and have led to the planting of many bare areas.

2017: Bishnica / Mokra tree planting campaign

In 2017, CHW members Christine and Jürgen Reindorf from Lübeck revived the project – as gardeners, they are practically called upon to do this. In June they traveled to the Mokra Mountains with the head of the forestry administration from Pogradec and arranged a planting campaign for 5,000 deciduous and coniferous trees. At the end of October, they brought these seedlings to Albania, where they were used to reforest the previously selected areas. Farmers from the region, children from the dormitory in Bishnica and students from surrounding schools took part in the planting campaign. A group of experts from the Erzgebirge (Germany) was also there.

2020/21: Holtas / Gramsh

Another planting campaign should take place in Holtas. Soil erosion has already caused major damage here, even in the middle of the village. Together with the Gramsh municipality, 3 hectares in Holtas were selected for planting and a plan for the procedure, including a protective fence against game browsing, was drawn up. Unfortunately, the project had to be postponed first due to the Covid19 pandemic, then in 2021 due to weather problems and unfinished preparations in Gramsh. The 500 seedlings that had already been delivered were planted by city employees in the Gramsh city area. However, we still want to carry out the planting campaign in Holtas.