The park encompasses 9,424 hectares (94.24 km2) of hilly terrain with freshwater lakes, wetlands, salt marshes, open plains, reed beds and islands.

Its mandate includes the protection of the lake and lagoon of Butrint, the natural channel of Vivari, the islands of Ksamil and as well the archaeological site, that provides valuable remains of ancient civilisations.

Butrint is strategically located in the eastern part of the Strait of Corfu in the extreme south of the country.

Numerous monuments are still extant including the city walls, a late-antique baptistery, a great basilica, Roman theatre and two castles.

The ancient city is situated within a natural woodland with a complex ecosystems which depends on the nearby lake and channel.

[4][5] The Butrint National Park was established with ordinance number 82 on 2 March 2000 in order to preserve the natural ecosystems and landscapes along with their plant and animal communities and habitats and the cultural heritage as well.

The underlying intention was to create a sustainable cultural heritage resource involving local communities and national institutions to serve as a model for other parks around the country.

There is an active program of events in the theatre, concerts and performances, and outreach programmes for local schools and colleges.

The Butrint National Park comprises 9,424.4 ha (94.244 km2) in Vlorë County located in the southwestern corner of Albania alongside the Ionian Sea within the Mediterranean Basin.

Located in the south of the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast, the park receives 1,500 millimetres (59 in) of precipitation annually.

Butrint is part of a diverse hydrographical network, composed by the courses of several rivers, lagoons and lakes.

[8] Due to its diverse geological and hydrological conditions and the mosaic distribution of various types of habitats, the location of the park is also one of the main reasons for the great variety of animals and plants.

The availability of water in forms of rivers, lakes and wetlands, influenced by the configuration of the terrain, has a great impact on the biodiversity of this area.

[10] The shallow coastal lagoons are rocky with extensive mussel beds and the water depth is higher than in other areas.

Within the archaeological site and southern and eastern slopes of Sotira, Evergreen forests occupy's most of the area.

Moreover, the herbal level is dominated among other by wild asparagus, hedge bedstraw, lesser celandine and purple loosestrife.

Posidonia oceanica is mostly distributed along the littoral sea bottom, from the Stillo Cap to Cuka Channel, while cymodocea nodosa and zostera noltei are widely found along the mouth of Pavllo River.

The golden jackal and red fox are typically to be found in the grasslands feeding primarily on small rodents, while the grey wolf occurs only during winter in the park.

Most of the waterbirds are concentrated in the coastal marshes such as the eurasian curlew, common redshank and sandwich tern.

The principal architectural monuments in the park includes a Roman theatre, Dionysus altar, Nymphaeum, Thermae, Gymnasium, Forum, Aqueduct, the temples of Minerva and Asclepius, the Lion Gate and a Baptistery situated in Southern Albania and declared a UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 1992.