Tomorr Mountain National Park

Tomorr Mountain National Park
Parku Kombëtar Mali i Tomorrit
Official logo
Map showing the location of Tomorr Mountain National Park
Map showing the location of Tomorr Mountain National Park
Location within Albania
Map showing the location of Tomorr Mountain National Park
Map showing the location of Tomorr Mountain National Park
Tomorr Mountain National Park (Europe)
LocationBerat County, Elbasan County
Nearest cityBerat, Poliçan
Coordinates40°42′0″N 20°8′0″E / 40.70000°N 20.13333°E / 40.70000; 20.13333
Area27,185.5 hectares (271.855 km2)[1]
Designated18 July 2012 (2012-07-18)
Governing body National Agency of Protected Areas

Tomorr Mountain National Park (Albanian: Parku Kombëtar "Mali i Tomorrit") is a national park founded in 1956 that lies in southern Albania, nestled in the central and higher portions of the Tomorr massif, spanning an area of 261.06 km2 (100.80 sq mi) since 2012, and expanded to include its quarry areas since 2019. The park covers a territory of 26,106 ha (64,510 acres).[2] The area falls within the Berat County and only 1,278 ha (3,160 acres) inside the Elbasan County.[3] The park was established in 1956 and is considered one of the most important protected areas for the maintenance of mountainous biodiversity and ecosystem integrity at the national level. The park has been recognised as an Important Plant Area of international importance by Plantlife.[4]

Tomorr is an anticline composed of limestones and karst. The mountain is one of the highest natural points of southern Albania, rising between the valleys of the rivers Osum and Tomorrica in the east close to Berat.

The park falls within the Pindus Mountains mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. Its varied geology and topography have resulted in a unique diversity of flora and fauna. Forests of the Tomorri National Park are composed of diverse species of deciduous and coniferous trees and a great variety of flowers. The park's forests are abundant in species such as European beech, Bosnian pine, Turkish hazel, linaria, great yellow gentian, autumn crocus, Greek whitebeam, European mistletoe, centaury and many others.[5][6] Numerous species of large mammals such as wolves, foxes, wild boars, roe deer, wild goats, rabbits, golden eagles, owles, and sparrowhawks can be found inside the national park. Small mammals include forest dormouse, and wood mouse.[7]

Prominent features within the national park include the Osum canyon, Osum river and Tomorr massif, which is also a sacred site of both Christians and Bekatshis.

Osum river and Mount Tomorr in the background
Osum canyon
View of the tyrbe tombstone
Tomorr massif
  1. ^ "PËRSHKRIMI I RRJETIT AKTUAL TË ZONAVE TË MBROJTURA" (PDF). mjedisi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 7.
  2. ^ "Vlerësimi Strategjik Mjedisor për Planin e Integruar Ndersektorial te Bregdetit" (PDF). planifikimi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 44. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-28.
  3. ^ "RRJETI I ZONAVE TË MBROJTURA NË SHQIPËRI" (PDF). mjedisi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 1.
  4. ^ IUCN, World Wide Fund for Nature, Plantlife. "Important Plant Areas of the south and east Mediterranean region" (PDF). portals.iucn.org. p. 75.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Biodiversity of the Albanian national parks and its problems" (PDF). ressources.ciheam.org. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  6. ^ "Rare plants and their conservation status in Tomorri National Park" (PDF). zs.thulb.uni-jena.de.
  7. ^ University of Tirana. "Small terrestrial mammals of Albania: distribution and diversity (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Rodentia)" (PDF). zookeys.pensoft.net. Tirana.