Emergence of Albania Enviromental Movements

Abstract

Environmental movements emerged in Albania is a relatively underexplored topic. This thesis discusses how and when the environmental movements started in Albania, what incidents or occurrences triggered these movements, and the characteristics of these movements. The research was carried out through thirteen structural interviews. Therefore, the collected data was mainly from primary sources. Interviews were conducted with individuals who were actually involved in environmental affairs. Respondents answered the interview questions either via email or via face-to-face interviews. Face-to-face interviews were recorded on audiotapes. The research is exploratory and qualitative. It is a case study and its sampling technique is judgmental (purposive). The thesis starts with a conceptual and theoretical background of social movements. Later, origins of environmental movements in the World are introduced. After discussing the Albanian case for environment, the Albanian legislation on environmental protection and political alignments of Albanian environmental movements are introduced. The results show that Albanian environmental movements emerged as a reaction to cruel exploitation of natural heritage of Albania. In the first decade of democratization, the movements were relatively weak due to post-communist turmoil period. In the second decade, the movements have grown simultaneously as civil society grew in Albania. The results also suggest that among many sporadic cases of environmentalism, two cases are more prominent: “Vlora Industrial and Energy Park” and “Alliance Against Waste Import” cases. In this study, it was concluded that the two mentioned cases of Albanian environmental movements have several characteristics of modern social movements. Both of them can be categorized as successful in terms of the effects and consequences they created. Even though they have lasted for several years, they can be considered as temporary movements. That is because, these movements have not been institutionalized although more than a hundred environmental NGOs existed in Albania.