Karavasta Bay (Albanian: Laguna e Karavastasë) is the largest bay in Albania and one of the largest in the Mediterranean Sea.
The bay is located in the west of Albania, and the largest city near the lagoon is Lushnje. The bay is separated from the Adriatic Sea by a long sandy barrier. Karavasta Bay has many pine forests and small sandy islands. The bay is famous for the rare Dalmatian pelican that nests there: in fact, 5% of the world’s population of this pelican species is found in this bay.
Karavasta Bay is on the list of Ramsar wetlands of international importance and is part of the Divjake-Karavasta National Park.
Divjaka-Karavasta National Park is the largest non-coastal complex in Albania with an area of 22,230.2 hectares, made of four bays with a total of about 5,000 hectares, sand dunes and a river delta. It is located in the central part of the Western Region, between the Shkumbini River in the north and the Seman River in the south, 40 km west of Lushnja, along the Adriatic coast. Divjake-Karavasta National Park has been included in the Ramsar list since 1994.
Near Karavasta Bay there is a Mediterranean pine forest, which contains one of the most interesting fauna of the country. The Divjaka-Karavasta area provides special conditions for the habitat of numerous plant communities and animal species, among which many of them are in danger of extinction in the world, such as the Pelican (Pelicanus crispus Bruch).
Bays provide living conditions and breeding grounds for more than 5% of the world’s population of this bird. The islands in the bay are one of the most important features of the bird conservation area. Although in the past Dalmatian pelicans nested in other parts of the bay, they now nest only on these islands, due to the disturbance they suffered elsewhere. In addition, many other important nesting birds in the bay nest on the island because they are safe from predation and human disturbance. These include the yawn (Glareola pratincola) and the little tern (Sterna albifrons).