In September 2025, Vjosa River was officially recognised as a UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere" (MAB) Reserve, during the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in China. While it brings international visibility, it also comes with expectations for rigorous follow-up and effective management.

The Transboundary River Forum opened dialogue between institutions, civil society organisations, and, most importantly, gave a voice to local communities to actively participate in decision-making for the management of their rivers. At the heart of the Forum lay a shared commitment: the creation of Europe’s first Transboundary Wild River Park, Aoos/Vjosa.

A devastating ecological disaster has struck the upper Neretva River on September 12. Just downstream of the newly built Ulog hydropower plant, local fishermen discovered a 7-kilometer stretch of river filled with dead fish.

Yesterday, September 24 2025, the Austrian freshwater ecologist Prof. Dr. Fritz Schiemer, Chair of Riverwatch, has been awarded the Wolfgang Staab Nature Conservation Award 2025 by the Schweisfurth Stiftung. The prize recognizes his exceptional scientific and political commitment to protecting the Vjosa River in Albania.

 "LIFE IS A RIVER" is a new song from the legendary Darko Rundek, celebrating the wild rivers of the Balkans.

National Park status should safeguard the Vjosa. Ask the Albanian government to continue their commitment to this wild place, and ensure the Vjosa Wild River National Park is protected today, tomorrow, and forever. 

A coalition of 19 civil society organisations has sent a powerful message to the Government of North Macedonia: act now to re-proclaim Mavrovo National Park in compliance with the law.

Two years after its landmark designation in March 2023 as Europe’s first Wild River National Park, the Vjosa River is under continuous pressure from extractive industries, infrastructure expansion, and mismanaged development, putting the park’s ecological integrity and its global conservation value at risk.

The Komarnica River will continue to flow freely through its eponymous canyon - at least for the time being. The project has been temporarily halted, but not cancelled.

The lack of required ecological flow from a hydropower dam in the Greek section of the Aoos/Vjosa River is endangering a unique and fragile ecosystem. A new scientific study underscores the urgent need to establish a minimum flow regime to restore the river’s ecological functions and safeguard its rich biodiversity.