Landscape Parks as protection valorization and territory promotion devices. The case of the Albanian Riviera and the “bubble” model

A “Protected Landscape” is protected area where interaction between humans and nature over time has produced an area with a distinct character as well as significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value. Taking this definition by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as starting point, this contribution aims to discuss the role of Protected Areas today and especially their potentialities in preserving landscapes under tourism pressure in developing countries. The Mediterranean coasts are full of negative tourism examples, due to the adoption of fast development strategies and the lack of attention for the life cycle of natural and cultural resources. Based on the application of protection and conservation protocols, the proposal is to introduce the concept of “bubble” for defining a new tourism model. The main challenge of the “bubble model” is to control expansion of the touristic stations and preserve the buffer areas both for their ecosystem and touristic value. The study case is the Albanian Riviera, which is one of the richest natural areas and ecological sites in Albania and considered one of the biggest tourism potentials of the country. The model proposed aims to preserve in situ the existing species and ecosystem dynamics, without trying to restore the status quo antes, and define actions to combine them with surrounding touristic development. The application of the bubble model shows the possibility of joining different objectives such as tourism development, environmental protection, territory connection and blue growth.