Policies & compliance
Data protection, land ethics and equal participation
These policies apply to all activities of Shoqata e Përdorimit të Pyjeve dhe Kullotave Komunare "Hazgeri" (TIN K84812391P) and to every visitor, volunteer, member household and partner.
1. Privacy Policy (GDPR / Albanian Law No. 9887)
Data controller: Shoqata e Përdorimit të Pyjeve dhe Kullotave Komunare "Hazgeri", Rruga Dritan Hoxha, Tiranë 1001, Albania, TIN K84812391P. Enquiries about personal data may be sent to morales-thanhe@gmx.com or by telephone on +355 69 292 8882.
What we collect. Only what you send us: the name, email address, telephone number and message text submitted through the contact form or by email; volunteer sign-up details including availability, emergency contact and any accessibility or medical information you choose to disclose for field safety; and partner or grant records such as organisation name, contact person and correspondence.
Why, and on what basis. Enquiry data is processed on the basis of your consent and our legitimate interest in replying. Volunteer data is processed to organise field work safely and, where health information is involved, on the basis of your explicit consent. Partner and grant records are kept to meet reporting and legal obligations.
Retention and sharing. Enquiries are kept for up to 24 months, volunteer records for the duration of participation plus three years, and financial or grant records for the period required by Albanian law. We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. Data is shared only with public authorities where legally required, and with partner institutions in anonymised or aggregate form.
Your rights. You may request access, rectification, erasure, restriction or portability of your data, object to processing, and withdraw consent at any time by writing to the address above; we respond within 30 days. You may also complain to the Albanian Information and Data Protection Commissioner. This website uses no advertising or tracking cookies; only technical storage strictly necessary for the site, including your language preference, is used.
2. Environmental Ethics & Land Management Code
Zero deforestation. The association neither carries out nor authorises clearance of standing native woodland. Removal of individual trees is limited to sanitary felling of diseased, wind-thrown or dangerous stems, recorded per parcel and replaced by planting at a minimum ratio of three to one.
Sustainable use. Firewood and grazing rights are exercised within limits set by the management plan and the annual assembly, never beyond the assessed regeneration capacity of a block. Machinery is kept off steep and wet ground; work on slopes above 30 percent is done by hand.
Native species and biodiversity. Only local-provenance native species are planted. No invasive species, no herbicides in restoration areas, and no works in nesting season within marked wildlife zones. Watercourses are protected by uncultivated buffer strips.
Community land ethic. Decisions on any parcel are taken with the households that use it. Boundaries, grazing turns and exclosures are published in the village. Breaches are addressed first by the pasture committee, and referred to the competent authority where the damage is serious or repeated.
3. Non-Discrimination & Equal Opportunity Policy
The association welcomes participation regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, national or social origin, language, religion or belief, political opinion, disability, health status, sexual orientation, marital status or socioeconomic background. Membership, volunteering, training and access to programs are open on equal terms.
We take active steps to include women in pasture and forestry decision-making, to involve young people through school and student programs, and to make field roles available at different levels of physical demand so that older members and people with reduced mobility can contribute — in the nursery, in record-keeping, or in interpretation work along the accessible paths.
Harassment, intimidation and discriminatory conduct are grounds for exclusion from association activities. Complaints may be raised with any board member or sent confidentially to morales-thanhe@gmx.com; they are examined by the board within 30 days, with the complainant informed of the outcome.