PP7: ACEPSD

Description of the organization

Albanian Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (ACEPSD) is a non for profit organisation established since September 2017, which has been demonstrating to be succesfull in several Project, which aimed to provide a distinuguished contribution in Marine Conservation, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Protected Areas Management.
As Knowledge Provider, ACEPSD has been implementing 2 Blue Boost Voucher Schemes in Albania: 1) Fresh Fish for Sustainable Fisheries Development in the Vlora Bay by Using the Recirculating Aquaculture System and 2) Ecological Monitoring for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture in the Vlora Bay, while Boosting the Blue Growth Sector of Aquaculture in Albania. In addition ACEPSD is the only responsible organization for assessing the Karaburuni and Sazani MPA economic and ecologicaleffects, using a monitoring protocol developed for the Interreg-Med project FishMPABlue 2.
Actually ACEPSD is also involved as Project partner in other 2 ongoing small scale Interreg IPA-CBC Italy Albania Montenegro projects

Competences and involvement in 2B-BLUE

• ACEPSD is involved in all WP activities of the project
• In the framework of WP2 and WP3 of the BBlue2 project in Albania ACEPSD will help the involvement of the mapped companies (including in this case Alb-Adriatico 2013 shpk) or actors from Albania to participate in the demonstration sites of ideas and potential good solutions.
• In the site of this marine aquaculture company will be created a demonstrative IMTA system, in which will be monitored and evaluated their socioeconomic and environmental impact, in collaboration with Alb-Adriatico 2013 shpk and other private actors.

Team members

 Rigers Bakiu
Rigers Bakiu is the deputy executive director of ACEPSD. He holds the title of Associate Professor, since 2015 and teaches several modules regarding topics abut Aquaculture, Fisheries and Aquatic Biotechnologies. Rigers Bakiu also participated and/or coordinated international projects and developed expertise in aquaculture, fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation (EU, FAO, MedPAN etc.).  He is currently an expert and national representative regarding different topics in IUCN, FAO and other international organisations.He is currently an expert and national representative regarding different topics in IUCN, FAO and other international organisations.

Silvia Durmishaj Bakiuq
Silvia Bakiu is the executive director of ACEPSD. She was graduated at the University of Tirana. Actually, she has maturated experience on administrative and legal issues of the organisation.