Seven years after a nationwide system of cameras was installed to monitor smuggling in the forests, the monitoring towers, which cost 1.2 million euros, were stolen and sold for scrap. After the dissolution of the Inspectorate that was managing them, the Ministry of Environment “forgot” to transfer these assets to the National Agency of Forests.
Dritan Kurti
Residents of Fshat village in the Municipality of Klos were quite surprised when in 2016, not far from their homes, a tall metallic tower was erected. Equipped with solar panels and cameras with a 360-degree rotating view, the tower was meant to serve as a “policeman” to monitor the smuggling of timber taken from the forests of Gurit të Bardhë and Xibrit.
“They told us, ‘We installed it at the turn to catch those who log in the mountains,'” says Halit Zeneli, a local resident, without knowing which institution the workers who made the installations belonged to. But seven years later, all that remains of the tower are the iron parts, and timber smuggling continues. No one knows where the cameras, solar panels, and other equipment that were placed there ended up.
Halit Zeneli, who lives just a few meters away from this monitoring point, says that it operated for about two years. Afterward, no one showed any interest, and it fell victim to theft.
“We know that the cameras were taken by three young men. There was a generator that provided it with power, but that was also taken. The only thing left is this iron tower, which we, the villagers, did not allow them to take, as they wanted to sell it for scrap,” explains Zeneli.
This tower was part of the national system for monitoring the illegal logging of forests, which was set up 7 years ago throughout the country. Each of these towers had 7 high-resolution cameras installed, along with solar panels to supply them with continuous power. The establishment of this system cost a total of 1.2 million euros (128.6 million leks), an investment that has now completely been undone.
With the ambition to stop the illegal logging of forests, the Ministry of Environment at that time dismissed hundreds of specialists who were monitoring the forests on the ground, replacing them with cameras.
Despite the expenses for its establishment, experts are convinced that not only did this investment have no positive impact, but it also increased costs.
“About 700 specialists were unjustly laid off, and the majority of them won their cases against the ministry and were compensated. There are specialists who are still being paid to this day due to that absurd decision of the ministry,” says Abdulla Diku, the Forestry Engineer.
According to him, if the funds spent on the cameras, their installation, and maintenance had been used properly, “perhaps the entire Bovilla basin would have been forested, and Tirana would have cleaner and safer water for its residents today.”
The failed cameras project
In 2016, the former State Inspectorate of Environment, Forests, Waters, and Tourism (ISHMPUT), which at that time managed all the forest economies of our country, decided to establish a digital monitoring system for the main roads in the country, where it was believed that timber contraband was taking place. This decision coincided with the imposition of a 10-year moratorium on logging forests.
The tender for the “Purchase of an electronic forest monitoring system” was opened in February 2016, and the winning company was announced as “FASTECH,” with a value of 128,629,690 lekë, very close to the upper funding limit of 133,333,503 lekë.
Throughout the country, 28 monitoring towers were built, equipped with cameras, but they failed to catch any “abusers.” Official data show that cases of illegal logging detected both on the roads and in forest areas were almost the same as in previous years. According to data obtained from the General Directorate of State Police, during the period 2015-2020, 1,528 cases of illegal logging involving 1,675 perpetrators were recorded. The confiscated timber amounted to several thousand cubic meters. Although INA MEDIA requested to be provided with data on how many of the violations were detected by the monitoring points, this information was not made available to us.
The monitoring tower in Klos Katund village of Klos Municipality has completely disappeared. As evidenced by the photos secured by Investigative Network Albania, the monitoring cameras, solar panels, and even the iron tower no longer exist. Only the concrete foundation, where the tower was placed, remains. It was supposed to monitor the illegal logging of the Martanesh forest.
In contrast, in the village of Burgajet in Mat, the forest monitoring tower is not functional, but it is almost untouched. This is possibly due to its proximity to several houses, making it difficult for others to damage or steal materials. Similarly, in Fushë Bulqizë, the monitoring tower located next to the national road has all its elements, but it is unclear whether it is operational or not.
The two monitoring towers for contraband in the forests, installed a few years ago in the villages of Fshat and Klos Katund in the Municipality of Klos, which have now disappeared, have cost 2.6 million lek. Frequent changes in the inspectorates, as well as the administration of the forests itself, have caused these monitoring towers to end up as “abandoned” assets. The Forest Administration and Towers Sector at the Municipality of Klos state that these monitoring points were never and are not assets of the municipality, while admitting that monitoring the illegal logging is a major challenge, mainly due to a severe lack of transportation resources.
“We lack infrastructure for territorial control, as we lack transportation means. In most cases, we perform territorial control with our own vehicles,” says Kapllan Allamani, the person in charge of the forest sector at the Municipality of Klos. According to him, the most problematic areas are those bordering Tirana, Dibra, Bulqiza, and Kruja due to the distance and difficult terrain.
On the other hand, the Local Environmental Agency (ADZM) in Dibra also claims that they have never had these cameras listed in their inventory within the territory of Dibra. In a comment provided to INA MEDIA, the institution states that they have no knowledge of this investment and that this system has neither been administered nor used by them, as it was part of ISHMPUT when it was constructed.
INA MEDIA observed that the logging of beech trees continues in the mountain of Xiber-Murrize village. Residents say this has been influenced by the construction of the Murrize bypass, which is part of the Arbri Road, a road that facilitates the transportation of logs toward Tirana or other cities in the Dibra region.
The municipality of Klos admits that this area, despite being part of the protected zones map, remains problematic and has been affected by contraband due to the construction works on the Arbri Road.
“With the opening of the bypass, we believe that the illegal cutting of trees in the protected area of Linos-Guri i Bardhe-Bize-Martanesh has been favored,” acknowledges Kapllan Allamani from the Municipality of Klos.
“As for Murrize mountain, the old road from Qafa e Murrizit-Qaf Qershi-Kroi i Pajnes-Zgure-Ura e Karthniqit is a protected area under the jurisdiction of ADZM, Diber. However, even though it falls under ADZM’s jurisdiction, our inspectors continuously monitor and report cases of illegal logging. After that, we inform ADZM,” he further concludes.
Forest experts say that this was a futile investment since the authorities lack the personnel and specialists to monitor the forests. According to them, the smugglers found a way around the cameras.
“Even if the cameras had worked, they would only record and show the fact that the forests were logged, but they did not help prevent it. Just like anything else, the smugglers found a solution to counter the cameras. Sometimes they covered them to avoid being filmed, and other times they diverted a section of the road to evade detection. In the end, I believe the smugglers outsmarted the cameras,” explains Diku.
Investments worth millions of euros, “a futile venture”
At the end of 2019, the inspectorates underwent a total reform, and the State Inspectorate of Environment, Forests, Waters, and Tourism (ISHMPUT), which at that time managed all the forest economies in our country, was dissolved as an institution. As a result, this 1.2 million euro investment was left unattended, leading to their destruction.
The Ministry of Environment only remembered that it had this investment under its administration after a request was sent by Investigative Network Albania. Four years after the central inspectorate’s dissolution, the institutions are still unable to say what happened to these towers or even have an inventory of them. No results are being mentioned either. The Ministry of Environment justifies this by stating that the restructuring process of other institutions, where the competencies of ISHMPUT were distributed, has not yet been completed. However, the ministry states in a written response that this current system is currently in the process of being transferred to the newly created National Forest Agency.
“In the framework of the procedures undertaken to fulfill all the obligations in the case of the dissolution/closure of an institution, the Electronic Forest Monitoring System was temporarily transferred to the Ministry of Environment and is currently in the process of being transferred to the National Forest Agency, an institution under the Ministry of Environment,” the Ministry of Environment told INA MEDIA at the end of May.
In a written response, the National Forest Agency refutes the Ministry of Environment, denying that the system has been transferred to their ownership, and as a result, they have no knowledge of what has been done with this system. The National Forest Agency became aware of the “investment” transfer only after receiving INA MEDIA’s letter.
“This system has not been put into use by the National Forest Agency. Regarding who owns it, whether it is functional or not, as well as the physical and technical condition of the camera stations in the territory, you should seek information from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment,” says the National Forest Agency.
However, the National Forest Agency clarifies that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, on the same day it responded to INA MEDIA, also addressed a letter to the National Forest Agency with the subject “Request for commencing the procedure of capital transfer free of charge of the Electronic Forest Monitoring System,” protocolled with no. 387, dated 25.05.2023.
Therefore, it appears that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism only remembered the transfer of this system to the National Forest Agency after receiving the information request from Investigative Network Albania on 28.04.2023 and just one day before the response date of 26.05.2023, so on 25.05.2023, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment initiated the procedure of transferring the Electronic Forest Monitoring System to the National Forest Agency.
Taking stock of this initiative, which experts consider political and not technical, they insist that it was a multidimensional failure that has resulted in the destruction of the country’s forest resources.
“This is an extraordinary cost, not only due to the cut timber but above all because the costs for the regeneration of the already destroyed forests have reached billions of euros. From this initiative, we must draw the necessary lessons,” explains forest engineer Abdulla Diku.
According to forest engineer Abdulla Diku, the amount of timber harvested annually in our country is much greater than what is naturally regenerated by the forests. “In Albania, about 2.5 million m3 of timber is harvested annually, while the annual growth of forests is about 1.4 million m3/year. Therefore, we harvest about 1.1 million m3 more than the natural annual growth of the forests,” he explains.
As a consequence of the massive deforestation, Albania now presents itself as the country with the highest erosion rate in Europe (12.5 times more erosion than the EU average).
“Currently, we lack forest specialists in the field to cover, control, and manage forest areas, leaving the door wide open for smugglers and a high level of informality in this sector (about 90% of the timber products taken from the forest are not paid for). The few individuals who are paid in the forestry sector have no connection to the relevant profession or job,” concludes Diku.
Ky shkrim është pjesë e projektit që mbështetet financiarisht nga Zyra e Mardhënieve me Publikun e Ambasadës së SH.B.A. në Tiranë. Opinionet, gjetjet, konkluzionet dhe rekomandimet e shprehura janë te autor-it/ve dhe nuk përfaqesojnë domosdoshmërisht ato të Departamentit të Shtetit. / This article is part of a project that is financially supported by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State.