The Article of the Telegraph “120,000 sign petition to save one of Europe’s last unspoiled corners” written by Hugh Morris is about the campaign against the building of hydroelectric dams in the only remaining undammed rivers in Europe. The so-called Blue Heart of Europe is an area of around 2,500 square miles in Albania and Greece, containing the 169-mile river Vjosa. But it is threatened by the planned hydropower plants. The concern of scientist and environmentalists is that blocking or diverting the paths of the rivers will destroy biodiversity, impact local communities and hinder an emerging tourism industry. The petition to stop the building of hydropower plants by a number of environmental organizations, as well as clothing brand Patagonia was delivered to t the London headquarters of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Redevelopment (EBRD), which is involved in financing development in the region. The petition called on commercial lenders across Europe to restrict funding for projects in protected areas, apply more stringent green conditions to loans and divert money towards lower-impact renewable energy sources. The Blue Heart campaign has already enjoyed one victory after a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled that an environmental permit for dam construction on the Kruscica river, one of the three rivers featured in the Blue Heart film, be annulled, halting construction.
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