National Anti-poisoning Road Map approved in Albania

Legal provisions against the poisoning of wildlife and particularly the use of poison baits have been absent in Albania, until the latest amendments proposed by the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS), were included in the Law No. 46/2019  

Thanks to those amendments, the current law on fauna protection and conservation now specifies for the first time ever that agricultural chemicals, veterinary drugs and services are potential threats to wild fauna if not managed properly. Following this, the use of poison baits for the extermination of wild fauna species are now punished with a fine of €1,000 to €2,000. Furthermore, the above amendments made possible for poisoning to be considered as a penal crime punishable by a fine or up to seven years of imprisonment in accordance with the provisions of Article 8 of the Albanian penal code. 

Following this great achievement, the Albanian Ornithological Society, supported by Vulture Conservation Foundation, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment, drafted the National Anti-poisoning Road Map for Albania 2022-2030.  

This road map was approved in late December 2021. This Road Map: 

• analyses the poison use in Albania and its impact on scavengers such as vultures 
• undertakes a policy and legislation analysis of the current poisoning situation 
• defines the objectives and a framework of actions with its specific budgetary needs in order to improve this situation   

Finally, in March 2022, the National Anti-Poisoning Road Map was approved by an order of the Minister of Tourism and Environment. This is a great conclusion of almost four years of hard work for AOS and their partners. The Road Map marks the beginning of further legislative and policy changes for a more efficient anti-poisoning system for Albania and its wildlife.