Identifying and understanding the patterns and processes of forest cover change in Albania and Kosovo

Forests are important resources for local livelihoods and the economy. Forest cover can be significantly affected by changes in institutional and political framework conditions such as induced by the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe and the war in Kosovo. This study analyzed the determinants of changes in forest cover for two periods between 1988 and 2007 for Albania and Kosovo. The method used in this thesis included Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) that served to identify the local pattern and processes of forest cover change. Pressures on forest from subsistence extraction of wood decreased in the second period when deforestation was observed in larger distance from roads and populated areas. The determinant of distance to nearest human settlement showed high local variations in their relationships with forest cover change. A strong negative influence was particularly evident in the northern and northeastern regions in Albania and the northern and southern in Kosovo in the second period. This research contributed important country-evidence to the literature on the patterns and processes of the post-socialist forest cover change.