Orikum, 22 April 2016:

On the earth day celebrations, the Aarhus Information Centre Vlora delivered a community based disaster risk reduction workshop that was supported by the OSCE Presence in Albania in the framework of “Disaster Risk Reduction and Security”, project. The workshop was organized inside the national park of Llogara within the administrative unit of Orikum. 34 representatives from the municipality of Vlora, elders of the villages, local businesses, school masters, state police, naval base of Pashaliman, regional agency of protected areas and fire brigade discussed together practical ways for preventing the fires and other natural disasters on this area on the eve of tourist season.

The workshop started with a welcome remark by the focal point of the working group Mr. Jeton Puka, adviser to Vlora Mayor. Mr. Puka explained the importance of the project and its activities and the importance of all actors to co-operate with one another in preventing disasters. Then the workshop followed by an explanation of community based DRR concepts and practises, presented by Mr. Elton Qendro from the OSCE Presence in Albania, who highlighted that local communities have an important role to play in community based DRR. After, the representative of Fire Brigade with 32 years’ experience exposed the historic data of fires during the last 10 years in the area of Orikum. He highlighted the importance of co-operation between local residents and public institutions.

“Despite the place or the season when a forest is on fire, in the majority of cases, these fires have been set by human activity, either a shepherd, or a local resident, deliberately or by accident” said Mr. Luan Kapaj, from Fire Brigade of Vlora in his presentation. The discussion was very active and focused at the role of cooperation between local stakeholders as well as raising the public awareness of community and students about prevention of disasters, especially fires in this area.

“Last year we have organized such an event, with local community, the chairman of the villages and shepherds of the local area. This year this public consultation is the first to be organized by AIC Vlore, and we somehow feel jealous but also feel good for the involvement of such local stakeholders like civic society, local government units, Fire Department, Naval Base of Pashaliman and State police” – stated the director of regional protected areas agency Mr. Nexhip Hysoleskaj.

The next, most interesting and active session was a group exercise where all participants were divided into three (3) groups to work together and prepare community mapping such as risk maps, vulnerability maps and capacity coping maps. The participants showed enthusiasm and found the exercise very important to identify their problems, needs, and suggestion to improve the whole disaster management process in their region.

“We appreciate this public consultation, and would like to see more of this kind. We suggest that such public consultations would be very effective if organized at every small community, at every village or location where the fire can be set or it has been in the past, because it would increase our awareness for not destroying the forest and the nature”, said Qemal Berdo, the oldest forest guard.

The AIC will replicate such activity in two more administrative units of Vlora municipality to support the local authorities to approach the local community through concrete actions in the area of floods and industrial accidents.