When the campaign first entered Tirana’s Skanderbeg Square in October 2023, it did so with a clear ambition: to bring biodiversity into the very center of public life. Conceived as a long-term awareness and educational campaign by the Tirana office of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung in close partnership with the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania, the initiative set out to reposition biodiversity protection as a shared societal and political responsibility.

Making the mosaic

Campaign team

PPNEA
Mikaela Mahilaj
Klaudja Koçi
Lorena Pyze Xhafaj
Laorena Kasemi
Dr. Aleksandër Trajçe, Director

Albania is Biodiversity Mosaic
Mosaic artwork & artistic direction: Kleidi Eski
Production team: Anna Paola Franceschi (Lead), Malgorzata Matyla, Marta Matyla, Umberto Pepe
Biodiversity research & scientific consultancy: PPNEA
Commissioned by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Tirana Office

hbs Tirana
Tea Zeqaj
Edona Bylykbashi
Linda Kelmendi
Sofika Rapi
Dr. M. Gökhan Tuncer, Director

Creative team
Digital and merchandise design: Jolin Matraku
Videography: Lorin Terezi
Content creation: Angela Bajrami

Temporary Pavilion Staff
Leonora Ukaj
Alban Bazaj
Anxhelo Bazaj
Athina Vathi
Danja Avdullai
Hygerta Rrapushi
Kejsi Gega
Sergi Melaj

Temporary pavilion
Architectural design: Jora Kasapi, fraksion.katër
Architectural implementation: fraksion.katër
Scaffolding: FIX Scaffolding (Turkey)

The Campaign Catalogue

Book

Albania is Biodiversity

The Amazing Species of Albania

19 March 2025

"Albania is Biodiversity" is a bilingual (Albanian-English) illustrated book that showcases 38 of Albania's most endangered and unique species. This publication highlights the country's role as one of Europe's key biodiversity hotspots and emphasizes the importance of preserving its rich natural heritage.

Publications

Albanian Tulip

ALBANIAN
TULIP

Endemic plant
of Albania

Balkan Lynx

BALKAN
LYNX

Most hidden
and endangered

Flight for Survival

FLIGHT
FOR SURVIVAL

Egyptian Vulture
and White Stork

Birds of Wetlands

BIRDS OF
WETLANDS

Dalmatian Pelican
and Flamingo

Amphibians of Albania

AMPHIBIANS
OF ALBANIA

Species and
habitats

Brown Bear

BROWN
BEAR

A symbol of
wild nature

Marine Life

MARINE
LIFE

Monk Seal, Sea Turtle
and Bottlenose Dolphin

Videos

To the videos playlist

One small country in Europe hosts an extraordinary richness of life. Do you know which one?

Albania accounts for less than 0.3% of Europe’s total area, yet it is home to around 30% of the continent’s flora, including many endemic species. This makes Albania an important reservoir of plant diversity in Europe.

Rocky coastline with yellow broom in bloom and mountains in the background. Text on image: One small country in Europe hosts an extraordinary richness of life. Do you know which one?

Close-up of a dark red flower with long stamens. Text on image: Within a modest territory, Albania hosts around 130 plant species per 1000 km²

Green mountain slopes with pine trees in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky. Text on image: Its rugged and isolated mountains became natural shelters for species found nowhere else on Earth.

A closed red tulip among grass. Text on image: From the Albanian tulip, a symbol of the mountain landscapes of Kukës,

A plant with violet flowers growing from a rock crevice. Text on image: to Wulfenia baldaccii tracing hiking trails, endemic life thrives here.

Close-up of pale violet flowers. Text on image: Around 160 endemic plant species are found in Albania, with many more still waiting to be discovered.

©️ Slide 2, 6: Zoltán Barina / Slide 5: Dr. Marash Rakaj

Albania is Wild Rivers

Albania is home to the Vjosa, the last large wild river system in Europe. It represents a near-extinct ecosystem type that offers a glimpse of what Europe’s rivers once were. #AlbaniaisBiodiversity

Aerial view of green-turquoise water spreading in a fan shape. Text on image: Albania is home to the Vjosa, the last large wild river system in Europe.

A small bird standing on river pebbles. Text on image: A near-extinct river ecosystem, it supports over 1,100 species.

A white stork walking in shallow water beside a gravel bank. Text on image: Including many that are globally threatened.

A river valley seen from above at dusk. Text on image: Still flowing freely, the Vjosa offers a rare blueprint for river restoration across Europe.

📷 Slide 1-3, 6: Wiktor Strumillo, Slide 4-5: Joni Vorpsi

Biodiversity, set in stone.

38 endangered and special species of Albania, brought together in a monumental mosaic by Kleidi Eski @kleidieski dedicated to the natural heritage we share. Alongside the mosaic, an exhibition and an extended public program, organized by PPNEA awaits you.

NOW ON VIEW: ALBANIA IS BIODIVERSITY MOSAIC & EXHIBITION
hbs Gallery, Skanderbeg Square, Tirana
Open daily, 4:00–10:00 PM
Free entrance

Come and experience the wonder of art and nature! #AlbaniaisBiodiversity

Event poster with a mosaic of a cat on a green background. Text on image: Mosaic & Exhibition. Open daily 16:00–22:00, hbs Gallery, Skanderbeg Square. Free entrance. Albania is Biodiversity.

Albania is Vital Lagoons

The Vjosa–Narta Protected Landscape is one living example. Part of one of the last intact Mediterranean delta systems, it is home to over 200 bird species, more than 70 threatened species, and Mediterranean’s rarest wildlife.

A flock of wading birds flying and feeding in shallow water. Text on image: Both beautiful and vital, Albania’s wetlands host hundreds of bird species.

A colourful bee-eater perched on a stone post. Text on image: They serve as resting grounds for birds travelling across the skies of Africa to Europe

A lagoon shore with calm water and vegetation. Text on image: and nurseries for fish moving across the vast Mediterranean waters.

A rippled sand dune with footprints and mountains in the background. Text on image: Yet these wetlands face an increasingly uncertain future due to human intervention.

A green rocky coastline with a bay and mountains in the background. Text on image: Support the protection of Albania’s wetlands. ppnea.org

📷 Slide 1-2, 5-6: Joni Vorpsi, Slide 3-4 Peter Sackl

Albania is Golden Dunes

Between the Adriatic Sea and the Narta Lagoon lie the Narta Dunes, one of the rarest and most important Mediterranean habitats. Beyond their striking landscape, the dunes provide an important habitat for many plant and animal species. And as a transition zone between sea and land, they play a key role in the ecological balance of the area. #AlbaniaIsBiodiversity

Sand dunes with tufts of grass by the sea under a cloudy sky. Text on image: Over centuries, wind, rivers, and coastal vegetation have shaped one of Albania’s most dynamic coastal habitats.

Aerial view of a sandy beach with waves. Text on image: Dunes are the coast’s first line of defense, protecting it from storms, flooding, and erosion.

Vegetated dunes with hills on the horizon. Text on image: In Albania, Narta Dunes are among the best-preserved Mediterranean dune habitats, protecting life where land meets the sea.

Albania is Pristine Coasts

Along its relatively short coastline, Albania brings together a remarkable mosaic of habitats. The lagoons, deltas and sandy dunes of the Adriatic give way to the rocky shores, caves and underwater habitats of the Ionian, creating a rich natural diversity - significant for the wider Mediterranean. #AlbaniaIsBiodiversity

Close-up of a sea turtle hatchling on sand. Text on image: Where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet, life flourishes beneath the surface.

A seal swimming in clear water beside a rocky sea cave. Text on image: Along its quiet coastal caves, the Mediterranean monk seal roams the waters.

Underwater view of the seabed with rocks and marine vegetation. Text on image: Posidonia meadows provide shelter, food, and breeding grounds for countless marine species.

Aerial view of a sandy beach with umbrellas and waves. Text on image: But this fragile marine world is increasingly under pressure from uncontrolled tourism.

📷 Slides 1 & 5: Arsen Rroshi, Slides 2 & 4: Kosta Xhaho, Slide 3: Bruno D’Amicis

Did you know?

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is one of the world’s rarest marine mammals and the only seal species native to the Mediterranean. Once found resting and breeding on open beaches, today it seeks refuge mainly in secluded sea caves, largely due to pressure from tourism. #AlbaniaIsBiodiversity

A seal splashing as it rises out of the water. Text on image: The Mediterranean monk seal can be found along Albania’s southern Riviera, particularly in the Karaburun–Sazan Marine National Park, the country’s first and only marine protected area. The park’s coastal cliffs and isolated sea caves provide vital habitat for this endangered species.

Albania is Ancient Forests

Only 3% of Europe’s forest area consists of old-growth forests. Yet Albania is home to several such centuries-old forests, two of which are already protected by UNESCO for their outstanding value.

Old-growth forests are a natural heritage that must be preserved not only as habitats for many threatened species, but also as reservoirs of genetic diversity. Even fallen trees or those damaged by insects create conditions for new species to thrive and help sustain biodiversity.

Green tree canopies seen from below. Text on image: Albania is Ancient Forests.

A dense forest with tall trunks and ferns. Text on image: Deep within Albania stand two of Europe’s last old-growth forests: Lumi i Gashit and Rrajca.

Orange mushrooms on a fallen, moss-covered log. Text on image: For centuries, these forests have grown beyond the rhythm of human intervention.

A person setting up a camera trap on a tree trunk. Text on image: Natural processes: decay, regeneration, and species unfold freely here.

A lynx beside an old tree trunk in the forest. Text on image: Final fortresses for endangered species and ancient genetic diversity

A large tree trunk with bracket fungi, seen from below. Text on image: these forests preserve a wilder Europe.

📷 Slides 1, 2, 3 & 6: Melitjan Nezaj, Ilir Shyti; Slide 4: Edvin Rushitaj; Slide 5: ERA/BLRP

Reflections

Launched in 2023 in Tirana's main square, the campaign has since evolved across multiple formats, ranging from school programs and digital campaigns to an online biodiversity quiz on the Vodafone App, the country's most widely used platform.

2023 edition

10,000+ on-site visitors for the campaign's first three weeks

2023 onwards

50+ Activities organised on-site and in nature

❝

200 new volunteers registered for nature conservation efforts

❝

1000+ pupils have participated in biodiversity education activities

❝

100 schools nationwide received biodiversity information kits

❝

Millions reached through social media & digital platforms

A VISUAL JOURNEY THAT BROUGHT BIODIVERSITY TO THE HEART OF TIRANA

After three decades of advocating for nature conservation across Albania, PPNEA and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tirana developed and launched a significant awareness campaign called “Albania is Biodiversity.” This campaign, likely one of the most extensive and impactful in the country, embodied PPNEA’s mission and reached the general public in the heart of Tirana

Albania is Biodiversity Artwork and campaign Provocative enough, the hook of the campaign was the re-conceptualization of the “Albania” mosaic, which stands proudly at the front the of National Historic Museum. The re-conceptualized mosaic was presented to the public in the format of a 1200-meter square fabric hung next to the original mosaic. The artwork featured 38 threatened and amazing species that can be found in the country’s wild and pristine habitats, such as forests, wetlands, high pastures, and many more, carefully selected by PPNEA experts. The species were illustrated by a national geographic illustrator Mr. Kadir Ozmen and brought together with an amazing mosaic brush by the renowned Albanian artist Mr. Kleidi Eski. The educational and artistic intervention, “Albania is Biodiversity,” was inaugurated on October 2nd with an opening ceremony attended by approximately 500 people. The event featured a mosaic unveiling accompanied by Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” performed by Albanian cellist Mr. Igert Zeqiri, Concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of the Albania Radio Television.

21 600 m2

Educative campaign

Communication campaign

The team designed an extensive communications and public relations campaign, utilizing mass media, social media, and engagement with interest groups. The campaign achieved over 50 media mentions, interviews, and TV appearances, successfully reaching the general public.

Partner organizations such as Birdlife International, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the EU Delegation in Tirana, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Embassy of Switzerland in Albania, and Vodafone Albania further promoted the campaign. This broadened its reach to activists, diplomats, youth, artists, local communities, and school children.

A real-life mosaic in the heart of Tirana