Eco village in Benca Albania

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA

Bença valley, named after the village, is part of Vjosa river valley in the district of Tepelenë.

Fig.1 Situation of the nature and environmental education zone: Gjirokaster prefecture (1B) with the Bença environmental conservation area and pilot zone in Tepelenë district (1C).

Together with the Kurvelesh highland (Fig. 1) it is an area of outstanding natural beauty. It represents all the typical karst-forms such as canyons, caves, natural bridges, springs and waterfalls. Its altitude ranges from about 250 m to just over 2100 m. As such it offers a great diversity in living conditions so that we encounter a diverse flora and fauna. Inventories so far identified black trout as an endemic species of the river in which also the otter was identified. In the mountains occur wild cat, wolf and wild goat just to mention a few. The mediterranean flora is rich in aromatic plants such as Sideritis roeserii which is also used for tea. Among the trees, summer oak and mediterranean oaks, (Quercus spp), the balkan plantane and fir species cover the slopes of the mountains.
The just described characteristics give the area a high value from a nature conservation point of view. Apart from the village of Bença with only 250 inhabitants five other villages (Fig. 1, ) occur in the area. They are reached by a gravel road which is presently being improved by the Tepelenë district council. The other villages are Lekdush, Progonat, Gusmar, Rexhin, and Niviça. The latter are situated in the Kurvalesh highlands (Fig. 1) at altitudes of 900 to 1000m. Unfortunately also armful effects such as overgrazing, accelerated erosion, illegal hunting and fishing, and pollution of the environment by oil waste due to leaking oil towers, and illegal hunting is probably present. Recent information tells that a project has started to stimulate natural forest growth and renovation of a spring.

2. HOW TO GETT THERE, ACCODOMATION, INHABITANTS
Take the gravel road from Gjirokaster to the villages Lekdush, Progonat en Benca. In the smaal village Benca the Eco tourist villa is situated in just near the road and has a nice overview over the valley and the river Vjosa (I am not sure if the river was called Vjosa?). the toilets are clean. In the building also a kind of bar/restaurant is present. In the morning and evening it is possible to reach the place by hitch hiking. If you are a visitor from abroad the most easy connection is probably by travelling via the famous Greek island of Corfú. Corfu is connected by ferry on a daily basis (less than two hours cruise) to the nearby Albanian coastal town of Sarande. The host and hostess were very kind but lacked any knowledge of english in 2001. Near the eco village a (botanical) nice beautiful garden and plant nursery was present which could serve as a bio-diversity and demonstration area. The people live of sheep and goat keeping including some cows, fruits (apples, pears, citrus, figs, walnuts etc.), fuel wood collection, bee keeping and hunting. In the area there are quite a lot of footpaths in this mountainous area without a description. We had a guarded trip with an uncle of the owner of the village but this guide was at the age of 65 more used at walking in the mountains than us at the age of 30 so the walk was quite tough.

3 THE ECO CENTRE
Eco-tourism: the area of Bënça has great potential; presently it offers the following.
Infrastructure: the Eco centre with 6 double rooms, 5 toilets and bathrooms with hot and cold water, a sitting room/ restaurant with kitchen, three ample balconies with a beautiful view over the valley and river; a terraced garden with fruit trees and endemic plants. The gravel road to Kurvelesh is possible for all type of cars.
Qualities of the area:
· Food in the centre is virtually all home-made and produced without use of herbicides, pesticides and artificial fertilizer. It includes items such as bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit trees including citrus, figs and nuts. Because of irrigation vegetables and crops can be produced during the whole season. Wine and raki are also locally produced.
· Local art and traditional skills: baking of bread, cheese making, beekeeping, honey production, preparation of wine and raki. Weaving of traditional clothes and carpets, wood and stone-carving. Special is the manufacture of the shepherd flute. Traditional polyphonic music by the Bënça group, which is nationally famous.
· In the higher part at about 900 to 1000 m you find suitable flat camp grounds.
· Family of the owner of the eco center can function as local guides
· The area in Southern Albania is a karst area with many springs, canyons and caves and with a rich flora and fauna. A gravel road traverses the area from Tepelene to the Kurvelesh highlands (altitude from 900 to 2200 m).
· A mountainous scenery with impressive canyons, waterfalls and other karst phenomena such as poljes and dolines.
· It is possible to visit a local diary/milk factory at Prognat were they make cheese and to fish in the Vjosa river. At the milk factory also dozens of the Emperor Moth (Saturnia pavonia) are present.
· A diverse insect population such as of butterflies of which the species composition is largely unknown. Present is Nachtpauwoog/Emperor Moth, Spaanse vlag/Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria), Snuitvlinder/nettle-tree butterfly (Libythea celtis), Blauwe ijsvogelvlinder/Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta),Koningspage/Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) and Koniginnepage/Swallow tail (Papilio machaon). Frogs and toads deserve attention as well. If you look for the Pfeilnatter (Coluber jugularis) you will find this snake. The large and the Neushoornkever/Groot en Klein vliegend hert /small Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
· Several Libelloides, Dragonflies and Damselflies. (Calopertyx virgo, Aeshna isoceles, Orthetrum cancellatum, Gomphus sneiderii en Cordulegaster bidentata, Calyeashna (dragonfly) and C. boltonii.)
· Mammiferous animals such as wild cat, wolf, wild goat, wild pig, lynx and bats (in caves).
· Plants: Orchids like the Tongorchis, Spinnenorchis, Hondskruid of Pyramide orchis (Orchis pyramidalis) and the Vanilla orchis, Glaskruid and Bremrraap (Orobranche ).
· Birds: rare birds of prey such as the Bonelli's and Imperial eagle and two vultures (including Egyptian vulture/Aasgier) where present. Further common Falcon, common Raven and Buzzard. Crag Martin, Dipper (Waterspreeuw), Blauwe Rotslijster/Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) and Grey wagtail are common. Roodstuitzwaluw/Red-rumped Swallow was nesting on the Eco centre's wall.
· Endemic trout (possibly Salmothymus obtusirostris) and Common eel / Aal(Anguilla anguilla) are present in the Vjosa river.

INFORMATION

http://photos.yahoo.com/characea/
http://photos.yahoo.com/landelijkejongeren
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/my_photos
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/landelijkejongeren/my_photos

Kurvalesh Geofraphic
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/album?.dir=ddf3&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/my_photos

INSECTS
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/landelijkejongeren/album?.dir=8967&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/landelijkejongeren/my_photos http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/album?.dir=1861&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/my_photos
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/album?.dir=1861&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/characea/my_photos

BENCA OTHER LINKS
http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/albania/locations/b/13.html
http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/albania/map/m151762/bena.html
Alternative Name: Bënça
Name Type: Variant or alternate
Area / State: N/A
Coordinates & Location type:
Area Type: Populated place
Location Type: Populated Place
Latitude: 40,255
Longitude: 20,03889
(Decimal degrees)
Latitude (DMS): 40° 15' 18 N
Longitude (DMS): 20° 2' 20 E
(Degrees, minutes and seconds)
Location modified: 2002-05-28

Alternative Name: Benca
Name Type: Variant or alternate
Coordinates & Location type:
Area Type: Hydrographic
Location Type: Stream
Latitude: 40,3
Longitude: 20,01667 (Decimal degrees)
Latitude (DMS): 40° 17' 60 N
Longitude (DMS): 20° 1' 0 E
(Degrees, minutes and seconds)
Location modified: 1993-12-11
Map & Location database updated: 2004-02-27

Lees meer op de volgende pagina

Albanian Telegraphic Agency: STUDY ON CANYONS OF BENCA

[07] STUDY ON CANYONS OF BENCA TIRANA, JAN 8 (ATA) - By Miranda Kora: The canyons of Benca, living ecosystems of Albanian nature (Southern Albania) with a longitude of 10 km and depth of several meters, will now be studied by the Association of Environmental Protection in Tirana. "The project aims, on the one hand, to film, make evident, to prepare the inventory, the map, and the publication of these values and on the other hand to sensitize the public opinion about the need to protect these values," said Nasip Mecaj, coordinator of this 5 month project, financed by the local office of Tirana of the Regional Environmental Centre, with headquarters in Budapest. Canyons of Benca have on their slopes some cave entrances of speleogical interest. The river waters have trout (salmo thymus) a relic autochthonous living creature of this river. Several ancient castles lie on the coasts of these canyons. According to coordinator Mecaj, they are expecting investors to act in three directions: the use of these assets, elevation of the welfare and protection of the environment in these zones. jz/xh/sh/

Flora and fauna
The flora of Gjirokastra prefecture is very rich in diversity and it’s stretching as well. This expresses the mutual and complex cooperation of the lithologic construction, climacteric and soil conditions from different vegetation’s stories, which are very difficult to be distinguished, the one from the other, not only on the vertical direction but even that horizontal. They are mixed with each other. The wide variety or plants and woods are characterizing Flora. There are 420 species that contains vessels. If we refer to the Albanian species, which are 3250, 13% belong to Gjirokastra territory. Another important feature of Gjirokastra prefecture flora except its diversity is even its Balkan character. By the researches that are done in Albanian flora (there aren’t any analysis for Gjirokastra flora) it is concluded that the Balkan floristic element is only 22% of all Albanian flora. Approximately 15% species are Balkan ones that is to say you can find them only in the Balkan Peninsula whereas the other part are sub-Balkan spread in a wider area. Gjirokastra flora is distinguished even for its Mediterranean character. So the Mediterranean floristic element consists in a great number of species, which are divided in their respective percentages into Euro-Mediterranean climate. Another element is the European floristic character, which reflects considerably in the Albanian flora and 18%of the species that are found here. The southern European species are the most widely spread in this territory. The relation of our flora with that of the southern are is not strong because here influences even the Greek element. The number of species that are the same with the Greek ones is 150 and they are mostly spread in this area with Mediterranean bushes.

Algemene links

Biology and Nature observations about biology summercamps, fresh water Algen, Orthoptera, Butterflies, Plants, Estonia, Albania, Slovakia, ZOTKS Slovenia and Birds.