Southeastern Albania Research Articles

Epidemiological Data Regarding the Distribution of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Albanian Small Ruminants

Background: Gastrointestinal infection of small ruminants is becoming a real problem due to the resistance against anthelmintic treatment. These parasitic infections are prevalent among grazing ruminants and result in significant economic losses by reduced production. The aim of the study was to evaluate and estimate the total loud of parasitic infection is small ruminants, sheep’s and goats from different farms located in Korça district. Methods: This study investigates parasitic infections in sheep and goats across 40 farms situated in Korça district in southeastern Albania. The primary objective is to assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites within feces samples from mature sheep and goats. In total, 121 feces samples were meticulously collected. Samples were analysed and processed using the Mini-FLOTAC technique in order to identify eggs and oocysts in each herd. Result: The results of the investigation revealed the presence of Strongyloides papillosus in 45.45% of samples, Ostertagia spp. eggs in 40.9% of samples, Monezia expansa eggs in 27.2% of samples, Dictiocaulus filaria in 22.3% of samples, Nematodirus spathiger eggs in 13.2% of samples, Haemonchus contortus eggs in 13.3%, Cooperia spp. eggs in 9% of samples, Trichostrongylus axei in 9% of samples, Coccidian oocysts in 4.1% of samples and Trichuris ovis in 1.6% of samples.

Natural asphalt on Late Neolithic (5000–4500 BCE) potsherds from southeastern Albania: A geochemical study

Nine archaeological bituminous potsherds from the Neolithic of Maliq and Kamnik (5000–4500 BCE) in Albania were geochemically compared for the first time to four natural asphalts from the famous present-day mine of Selenicë. The bitumen on potsherds originates from Selenicë, a unique source in Albania and the southern Balkans. Carbon isotopes on the asphaltene chromatographic fraction confirm that the bitumen on the potsherds came from Selenicë. Carbon and hydrogen isotopes on saturates, aromatics, NSO, and asphaltenes show changes that may be due to biodegradation-oxidation effects and also the occurrence of organic remains from the content of the vessels mixed with bitumens. Steranes, terpanes, and aromatics confirm the increased biodegradation of bitumen on potsherds when compared to natural asphalts references.

Digital technologies integration in the classroom. A teacher’s perspective

This paper focuses on determining and analyzing the factors which lead high school teachers in southeastern Albania to integrate digital technologies in the classroom. For this purpose, a survey was conducted. Factor analysis was used to determine the factors and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation of these factors. This method proved to be stable and reliable and can be recommended for use in educational technology research. Based on the factors’ inter-correlations, an apparent result is that: a better knowledge of software applications positively influences teachers’ digital technology use and their self-confidence. It also increases teachers’ motivation to use digital technologies in the classroom. Competence seems to be the most relevant factor that influences teachers to integrate digital technologies in the classroom.
 
 Keywords: digital technologies, competence, factor analysis, teaching, high school;

Voskopoja and Ioannina, two advanced centers of the European Enlightenment in the Ottoman West

This paper considers the impact of Enlightenment ideals before and during the Movement of the New Greek National Ideology during the 17th to 19th centuries. It is about Ioannina and Voskopoja, located today respectively in northwestern Greece and in southeastern Albania. In both centers, education was central to the spread of Western Enlightenment values, and attempts to communicate across the languages of the region were the main key. Voskopoja is a typical case of the flourishing of Enlightenment values in the service of economic and cultural development. With its defining basis of Hellenic culture, and its emphasis on secular knowledge, the purpose of education was ‘enlightening’ the hearts and minds of the Balkan peoples, seen as the only way to overthrow the Ottoman Empire. The ideological platform promoted in Ioannina, and on behalf of Greek nationalism, served as the basis for the platform of the Albanian national ideology.

Application of the Erosion Potential Method in Vithkuqi Watersheds (Southeastern Albania)

Application of the Erosion Potential Method in Vithkuqi Watersheds (Southeastern Albania)

Sacred Practices of the Christian Orthodox and the Muslims in the Mixed Shrines in the Devoll Region (South-East Albania)

The article portrays the mixed sacred practices of the Christians and the Muslims in the Devoll region in southeastern Albania: in the Satrivaç Orthodox sanctuary in the village Hoçisht (Satrivaç or Shatrivaç) and the Bektashi sanctuary in the village Kuç (Inonisht). Based on the materials of the field work in Devoll in July 2019 and July 2021, the authors consider how sacred practices in the space of sanctuaries are distinguished by representatives of different (ethno)confessional groups of pilgrims (Orthodox and Muslim, Albanian, Macedonian, and Roma), as well as how practices of different genesis (Orthodox, Islamic, vernacular) are associated with the idea of a common sacred place (vakëf) regardless of its nominal confessional affiliation on the level of language and rituals. Considering the same audience of visitors and pilgrims in Satrivaç and Inonisht, the authors focus on the parallelism of sacred practices, elements of the infrastructure of the sanctuaries, and related terminology. Nevertheless, against the background of convergent vernacular practices and tolerant acceptance of religious differences, collective identities based on religious affi liation remain relevant boundaries in the communication of various Balkan communities.

A Swamp, a Forbidden Grove and a Ruined Factory in a Corner of South-eastern Albania . From the Heterotopia of First Modernity to Dead Zones of Second Modernity

Article A Swamp, a Forbidden Grove and a Ruined Factory in a Corner of South-eastern Albania . From the Heterotopia of First Modernity to Dead Zones of Second Modernity was published on December 1, 2021 in the journal Südost-Forschungen (volume 80, issue 1).

The Early Bronze Age dendrochronology of Sovjan (Albania): A first tree-ring sequence of the 24th – 22nd c. BC for the southwestern Balkans

The archaeological site of Sovjan is situated on the edge of the Korçë Basin, southeastern Albania. Its remarkably long and well investigated stratigraphic sequence, spanning from the Neolithic till the Iron Age, makes it an important type- and reference-site for the whole region. At different periods of prehistory it was located on the shores of the former Lake Maliq that once filled the Korçë Basin, but was definitely drained in the 1940′s. These permanent wetland conditions on the site allowed for a high degree of preservation of organic material, especially wood. Based on the current knowledge, level 8 of Sovjan contains the best-preserved wooden material of all the Early Bronze Age sites in the Balkans. Through the combination of dendrochronology and Bayesian modelling, i.e. wiggle-matching, a floating 269-years long tree-ring chronology was constructed, with an absolute end-date range falling between 2158 and 2142 cal BC (2σ). It was possible to establish that the dwellings and the trackway associated with the last occupation phase of level 8 are contemporaneous. Additionally, with the help of the new dendrochronological data and based on previously published charcoal dates, the absolute chronology of the subsequent level 7 is being narrowed-down to a range from the mid-22nd to mid-20th c. cal BC (2σ). The Early Bronze Age layers of the archaeological site of Sovjan, which are particularly pertinent for the 3rd millennium chronology of the southwestern Balkans, can now be dated with high precision for the first time and hence offer a major chronological reference point in the region.

The Pleistocene flora of Bezhan, southeast Albania: early appearance of extant tree species

ABSTRACT The piggyback basin of Bezhan, southeastern Albania, was formed during the late Neogene and contains Pliocene/Pleistocene deposits. These continental deposits consist of marls, siltstones and clays separated by a thin series of lignite-seams alternating with clays (Bezhan formation). We investigated leaf fossils and dispersed pollen from marls of the upper portion of this formation. Fifty-two plant taxa comprising algae, gymnosperms, and angiosperms were recovered. Of these, at least 19% belong to extant species and less than 16% belong to taxa today extinct in western Eurasia. Tsuga is represented by three pollen taxa with affinities to modern Chinese, Japanese, and North American species. Herbaceous taxa indicative of steppe (Artemisia, Amaranthaceae) occur in low quantities (≤1%) suggesting an interglacial setting. Four vegetation units are recognised: Wet riparian and aquatic vegetation, mesic oak forest, dry sub-Mediterranean woodland, and montane conifer forest. A comparison of the Bezhan flora with well-dated Pliocene and Pleistocene floras of Italy suggests a Calabrian (late early Pleistocene) age for the upper unit. This estimate is based on the abundance of extant taxa, the absence of subtropical taxa, and threshold values of particular taxa (Tsuga, Carya). The findings are in agreement with age estimates for extant tree species from molecular studies.

General Borrowings of Greek Origin in Albanian and Bulgarian (by Materials from Two Dialects from South-Eastern Albania)

General Borrowings of Greek Origin in Albanian and Bulgarian (by Materials from Two Dialects from South-Eastern Albania)

Traditional uses of wild food plants, medicinal plants, and domestic remedies in Albanian, Aromanian and Macedonian villages in South-Eastern Albania

Ethnobiological research in SE Europe is especially important for providing concrete insights aimed at developing small-scale markets of local medicinal plants and food products.An ethnobotanical field study was carried out during late summer 2016 among Muslim Albanians, Christian Orthodox Aromanians and Christian Orthodox Macedonians living in six isolated villages of Eastern and SE Albania, as well as in one nearby village located in SW Macedonia. The field survey was conducted via semi-structured interviews by asking 32 local, mainly elderly informants, who retain traditional ethnobotanical knowledge (TEK) regarding traditional utilizations of wild food plants, medicinal plants (both wild and cultivated), mushrooms, plants used as a dye, and other home-made remedies pertaining to both human and animal health. Fifty-two botanical and fungal folk taxa and twenty-four other domestic remedies were recorded; approx. one-fifth of the total reports have not been previously recorded in Albania and the SW Balkans. Among these findings, the uncommon medicinal uses of Clematis, Verbascum, and Fraxinus spp. deserve phytopharmacological investigations.The most cited taxa were commonly used by all investigated communities, suggesting that the bulk of the Eastern and SE Albanian ethnobotanical knowledge is retained by all locals, beyond linguistic and religious affiliations.

Assessing Farm’s Performance by Farm Typology in Albania

Assessing Farm’s Performance by Farm Typology in Albania

On official texts in Slavic dialects in the County of Korcha, South-Eastern Albania

On official texts in Slavic dialects in the County of Korcha, South Eastern AlbaniaIn the article I consider official texts in Slavic dialects in Albania. Three texts are taken as examples: “An Internal Handbook for Organising the Work of a Regional Committee at a District/Prefecture Level of MAEI [Macedonian Alliance for European Integration]” (2009), a letter written by the villagers of Boboshtica to the Bulgarian Exarch (1873), and The “Charter of the Society of Kaynas” (2006). They make use of language in its symbolic function – the way these texts are written is almost as important as what exactly is written. These texts have been created to showcase the language and to underline its uniqueness against the background of another language or idiom, or, to put it another way, to underline through the language the special status of the people that use it. Oficjalne teksty w słowiańskich dialektach okolic Korczy w południowo-wschodniej AlbaniiArtykuł omawia oficjalne teksty powstałe w słowiańskich dialektach Albanii. Wybrano przykładowo trzy teksty: Wewnętrzne wytyczne w sprawie organizacji pracy komitetu MAEI na poziomie okręgu/prefektury (2009), list mieszkańców Boboszticy do bułgarskiego egzarchy (1873) i Statut towarzystwa „Kajnas” (2006). Te trzy teksty posługują się językiem w sposób symboliczny. To, w jakiej odmianie języka są napisane, jest równie ważne, jak ich treść. Teksty te powstały bądź po to, aby pokazać język i podkreślić jego unikalność na tle innego języka, lub po to, aby poprzez język podkreślić szczególny status ludzi, którzy się nim posługują.

Contingent Valuation of Residents' Attitudes and Willingness-to-Pay for Non-point Source Pollution Control: A Case Study in AL-Prespa, Southeastern Albania.

Recently, local governments in Albania have begun paying attention to management of small watershed, because there are specific boundaries and people living within a watershed basin tend to be more concerned about the basin's environmental, economic, and social development. But this natural resource management and non-point source (NPS) pollution control is still facing challenges. Albanian part of Prespa Park (AL-Prespa) is a good case study, as it is a protected wetland area of high biodiversity and long human history. In this framework, this study was undertaken, the main objectives of which were to explore: (1) the attitudes of the residents toward NPS pollution control, (2) their willingness-to-pay for improving water quality, and (3) factors affecting the residents' willingness-to-pay. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), Chi-square analysis, and multivariate data analysis techniques were used. Findings strongly suggested that the residents' attitudes toward NPS pollution control in this area were positive. With the combination of two major contingent valuation methods--dichotomous choice and open-ended formats, the survey results indicated that the average yearly respondents' WTP was <euro>6.4. The survey revealed that residents' yearly income and education level were the main factors affecting residents' willingness-to-pay for NPS pollution control in this area, and there was no significant correlation between residents' yearly income and their education level. The current study would lay a solid foundation on decision-making in further NPS pollution control and public participation through community-based watershed management policies in AL-Prespa watershed and similar areas.

Wanted! Dead or alive: the tale of the Brown’s Grayling (Pseudochazara amymone)

The Brown’s Grayling (Pseudochazara amymone) is one of the most enigmatic and sought after species among European butterflies. Hiding its exact distribution for almost 40 years with the idea of protecting it, resulted in an increasing collector’s interest, with market prices reaching up to 1,000 euro for a single female after its discovery in Albania. Aiming to demystify this butterfly and enable entomologists and conservationists to see the species in its natural environment, we provide detailed information on its distribution in south-eastern Albania. In addition, we modelled the potential species distribution to facilitate further surveys within its potential range. The modelled range of P. amymone is highly fragmented stretching from the central part of eastern Albania to northern Greece and is strongly bound to ophiolite geological strata. The species was re-assessed as Endangered according to the IUCN criteria, with a predicted population decline due to construction of hydroelectric power plants in one of the locations. We argue that hiding valuable information regarding threatened insect species may have negative effects and we advocate publishing available distribution data so that conservation measures may be undertaken where and when necessary.

Preliminary brown bear survey in southeastern Albania

The political isolation during the communist regime and the economic crisis that followed its downfall adversely affected the conservation of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Albania. In 2008–2009 we conducted questionnaires and field surveys in southeastern Albania to determine the presence of bears and evaluate bear–human interactions, and on-site inspections to record the status of bears held in captivity. We recorded bears mainly in the eastern and southeastern part of the study area and documented wide-scale bear–human conflicts, which often resulted in the killing and a generally negative public perception of bears. We documented 25 bears in captivity, often under marginal welfare conditions and noted wild-born cubs that were maintained in captivity to meet the demand for captive bears. We recommend additional studies to better evaluate brown bear status; nation-wide education on species conservation needs and how to mitigate negative interactions; and efforts to improve welfare of bears in captivity.

On the identity of Anchusa leucantha (Boraginaceae) from northern Greece

Anchusa leucantha, previously considered an ophiolithic endemic restricted to a small area in north central Greece, is shown to be a heterotypic synonym of A. officinalis var. ochroleuca. It occurs in southeastern Albania, the southern part of F.Y.R. Macedonia and northern Greece. We treat this taxon as part of the polymorphic A. officinalis, for which A. officinalis subsp. leucantha is proposed as a new combination.

The Greek-Albanian Archaeological Project on Maligrad: Shaping the Cultural Heritage in the Tri-National Zone of the Great Prespa Lake

This paper aims to analyse the collaboration of the Greek-Albanian Archaeological Expedition with the local community of the tri-national district (FYROM-Greece-Albania) of the Great Prespa Lake, in South-eastern Albania, conducted by the Institute for the Transbalkanic Cultural Cooperation (Greece) and the Institute of Archaeology of Tirana (Albania). It is argued that local cultural heritage, including the heritage of the archaeological past, can play a significant reconciliatory role in an extremely delicate national and environmental landscape throughout the work of all the bipolar participants: locals and ‘foreign experts’.

The Rents of Illegal Logging: The Mechanisms behind the Rush on Forest Resources in Southeast Albania

Since the collapse of socialism, Central and Eastern Europe has experienced a massive rush on forest resources. This paper examines the concrete mechanisms through which the postsocialist transformation has spurred this rush through a case study of a forest sector in southeastern Albania, where various kinds of actors collide in a struggle over rent from illegal firewood extraction and trade. I argue that the broader political and economic changes of postsocialism have altered rural resource values, changed the mechanisms through which forest users gain access to productive resources, and shifted the creation and distribution of resource rent among actors. Together, these changes affected forest users' incentives, decision-making and practices. Over the past two decades they have caused this rush and severe forest degradation.

Large Roost of Lesser Kestrels in Southeastern Albania

Large Roost of Lesser Kestrels in Southeastern Albania