Walking with the shepherds preserving the living heritage of Kelmend’s alpine pastures

For thousands of years humans have domesticated animals, first the dog, then later – sheep, cows, goats, pigs, horses, amongst others—raising these animals fundamentally changed the lifestyle of their owners. To date, it has remained one of the most sustainable and harmonious relationships between humans and nature. Although it is increasingly threatened today by urban uniformity, pastoral life still endures across six continents, including in the northern mountains of Albania.

Historically known as a tribe of shepherds and warriors, the people of Kelmend now fight to keep their traditions alive. On the 23^rd – 25^th May 2025, GO2 Albania organised a trip “Nga Stani ne Stan (From Hut to Hut)”, to explore and familiarise themselves with the distribution of temporary highland settlements in the Kelmend Alps. The trip brought together professionals from diverse backgrounds—journalists, biologists, agronomists, explorers, tourist guides, and other stakeholders interested in this heritage. As one of the organisations that has worked for years in the three major valleys of the Albanian Alps National Park—Valbona, Shala, and most recently Cemi—GO2 Albania continues to build a comprehensive database on nearly every aspect of the natural and cultural heritage of the “Albanian Alps” Protected Area. Thanks to this groundwork, throughout the trip, participants received rich and detailed information about the cultural landscape and the people of the Alps, particularly transhumance, one of the heritage practices now recognised as a global value by UNESCO.

Human activity in the alpine pastures within Core Zone B and the Traditional Sustainable Use Zone—designated under the Law on Protected Areas (Law no. 21/2024) and the park’s internal zoning (Council of Ministers Decision no. 59, dated January 26, 2022)—is closely connected to the efforts of the Protected Areas Administration (RAPA) of Shkodër. This trusted relationship, along with broader challenges related to preserving the country’s largest national park, was the focus of an engaging open discussion between participants and Mr. Tonin Macaj, a forest engineer representing RAPA Shkodër.

On the second day, despite the less-than-favourable spring alpine weather, the group visited several shepherd huts in the meadows of Koprisht, located south of the Selca Sinkholes, at elevations ranging from 1,450 to 1,800 meters above sea level. As centuries-old highland pastures, these settlements bear historical layers: traces of old huts shaped like pits with dry stone walls, kilometre-long pasture boundaries also marked by dry stone walls, basic tools testifying to pastoral life, and alpine graves of ancestors, shepherds and martyrs of neighbourly greed.

The real-life experiences of today’s shepherds—following in their grandfathers’ footsteps, leading their flocks from Grabom and Kalca of Brojë to Koprisht and Pajë—were shared firsthand on the third day of the trip. Spontaneous, open-minded, eloquent, and full of joy, Lushi and Gazmendi captivated the group with their stories, life advice about mountain living, and songs sung from the heart. After harvesting the season’s first hay as feed for the long alpine winter, they are now preparing to ascend to the highlands. From the beginning of June to the end of September, they will now bring life to the alpine meadows with the laughter of their children and the cheerful bleating of their sheep.

By: GO2 Albania