Press Release

The last meeting of the Vjosa tour was organized by EcoAlbania in the frame of “Save the blue heart of Europe” campaign, on March 13th in Selenica. The meeting was attended by 80 local people, representatives of civil society, Environment Inspectorate of Vlora, national and international media. The meeting is part of a series of meetings held along the Vjosa valley with the aim to inform different groups of interest of the community, about the values and the threats of the last wild river in Europe.

© B. Guri/ EcoAlbania

After the welcoming speech of Mr. Margariti, representative of the Municipality of Selenica, the participants were introduced to the latest data of studies on biodiversity, paying more attention to the rare species that live in the Vjosa valley and then passing to the threats – the hydro power construction projects along the Vjosa River and its tributaries. The participants were also introduced to the “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” campaign, being implemented by EcoAlbania and its international partners EuroNatur and RiverWatch. The alternative that we propose is the proclamation of the Vjosa National Park for a sustainable development, for the good of the local community and nature.

The participants expressed high interest and willingness to support the idea of a Vjosa National Park. “We don’t have the possibility to bring our children to the sea, and for this reason Vjosa would be the best solution on this, but the river is eroded and we are afraid to send them to the river because many people got drowned. We are ready to support you in the initiative to declare the Vjosa National Park, “said Valbona Rrapaj, teacher at the elementary school of Selenicë.

Another teacher from Selenica, Mr. Isufi says: “Vjosa used to have a large forest were they usually organized picnics and other activities…but now there is no forest. Please bring us back the “lungs” that Vjosa had once“.

Grabbed by the enthusiasm created and the desire to say their word they all protested for a few minutes, against dams and for the Vjosa National Park. Their support makes us more determined to accomplish our mission.

 From Earta Nuna/ EcoAlbania

Local people discuss the future of the river – parliamentarians will be informed

Përmet & Çarshovë,  19 December 2014

On Wednesday and Thursday (16-17 .12. 2014) the first public discussions about the future of the Vjosa Valley took place in the cities of Çarshovë and Përmet in southern Albania. While official plans of the government envisage the construction of eight dams along the river, the mayors and people of the affected communities support the alternative idea of establishing a national park. A declaration to stop the dam projects and protect the river as a national park was signed. The “Vjosa Tour” will continue early next year with similar debates in communities along the river.

Photo session after the meeting in Përmet © R.Tasho

About 150 people followed our invitation  and the mayors of the cities and participated in the discussions about the future of their valley. Representatives of “Save The Blue Heart of Europe” team – explained the effects of the proposed hydropower plants and the idea to protect the entire river from the mountains to the sea as a national park.

“We are grateful for such information and the possibility to discuss the issue. We don´t want to be dammed, but want a Vjosa National Park instead. This way, we can protect our river and maintain it for our economic future”, says Veli Mehmeti, mayor of Çarshovë. His counterpart Gilberto Jaçe, mayor of Permet, agrees: “We are in favour of a national park, since it could promote the development of sustainable ecotourism and, as a result, improve the economic situation of the region. However, it must be a national park according to international management standards, not one that exists only on paper, like some others in Albania.”

Arta Dade, member of the Albanian parliament, who participated in the event in Çarshovë says: “I also support the idea of a national park and I will inform the parliamentarians in Tirana about it. I strongly hope that we can save this beautiful river.”

Presantation session in Përmet © R.Tasho

The Vjosa in southern Albania is one of Europe’s last wild rivers. Along its course of 270 kilometers it is untamed and free flowing. In some areas the riverbed expands over more than 2 km in width. “The Vjosa is the crown jewel of wild rivers in Europe. The proposed hydropower plants would destroy this breathtaking landscape, including habitat for many endangered species,” warns Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch, part of the international coordination team which is headed by the organizations EuroNatur and Riverwatch.

“We will oppose the dam projects in the region and we will fight for the idea of a national park,” concludes Olsi Nika, project coordinator in Albania.

The events were organized in the framework of the international campaign “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” and are part of a series of similar events along the river. The “Vjosa Tour” will continue early next year with conferences in Tepelenë, Memaliaj, Selenicë and Novoselë from January to April and will end with a public “Vjosa Day” in Tiranë in May.

Background information:

The projected dams along the Vjosa River constitute only one wave of a true dam tsunami that is putting Balkan Rivers at risk. More than 570 new dams (> 1 MW) are currently projected between Slovenia to Albania. In order to counteract this spate of destruction, EuroNatur’ and ‘RiverWatch’’ have launched the “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” campaign in cooperation with local partner in the respective Balkan countries.

For further information:

www.balkanrivers.net | www.ecoalbania.org | www.riverwatch.eu | www.euronatur.org

– Olsi Nika – EcoAlbania | [email protected]

– Besjana Guri – EcoAlbania | [email protected]

– Ulrich Eichelmann – Riverwatch | [email protected]

– Theresa Schiller – EuroNatur | [email protected]