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Protests for Shushica continue

Vjosa Wild River National Park is under threat as construction works on Shushica persists for the water supply of the tourist coast! Despite relentless opposition from locals, activists, and scientists, the construction goes on. The fate of over 30 villages hangs in the balance, but our community's resolve is unbreakable. Find out more about the Shushica case and the local resistance in the video by Joshua David Lim:

Protest on the Albanian Shushica River: Vjosa National Park in danger

12 mayors and numerous other residents of the Shushica Valley and other regions of the Vjosa National Park, activists, lawyers and scientists gathered this morning in the village of Kuç on the banks of the Shushica River. They are protesting the plans of the government in Tirana to take the water from the Shushica and channel it to the Mediterranean

STUDY: Freshwater biodiversity impacted by hydropower plants in the Sharr Mountains National Park

 07.02.2024

This rapid field assessments conducted in Autum 2023 in the National Park Sharr Mountain encompassed an extensive evaluation of fish and macroinvertebrates, with a specific focus on aquatic insects, in the Lepenc River and its tributaries.

Next Webinar: Neretva Biodiversity

Join our open Scientists for Balkan Rivers Webinar on Tuesday, 27th February 2024, at 18:00 CET. We will present and discuss the amazing results of the last two Neretva Science Weeks - more than 2000 species were discovered including several species new to science. Please REGISTER HERE to join this webinar.

Preliminary Report of the Neretva Science Week 2023

Neretva Science Week 2023 took place from May 30th to June 7th. A diverse team of 62 scientists from 17 countries gathered in small town Ulog, to contribute to the conservation of the Neretva river system. Here, we gathered the preliminary results of Neretva Science Week 2023, covering 19 studies or fields of expertise. READ MORE

Residents of the Shushica Valley continue their protest against the diversion of the river

On December 16 2023 local residents from the villages of the Shushica Valley, part of the Vjosa River National Park, along with activists, held another protest in Kuç, against the project to divert water from the Lëpusha source for the construction of the Himara water supply system. After more than 5 months of efforts, residents from the Vlora River area remain

The entire Aoos River in Greece and its tributaries are now protected!

 01.12.2023

Way forward for the 1st Transboundary Wild River National Park in Europe. An important step was taken on November 28th by the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy with the designation of part of the catchment area of the transboundary river Aoos in Greece as a Protected Natural Formation and

Protest Against HPP Ulog on the Neretva Held in Konjic

On November 11th, 2,000 nature enthusiasts and nine NGOs from across Bosnia-Herzegovina gathered in Konjic. United with slogans like "Neretva has its defenders" and "Let’s Save Neretva," they voiced their demands for authorities to halt hydropower projects in the Neretva basin, particularly the

Radio show with Ulrich Eichelmann on the International Day of Rivers (only in German)

 11.10.2023

On the occasion of the International Day of Rivers, Riverwatch CEO Ulrich Eichelmann was interviewed by the Austrian radio station Ö1. The ecologist and conservationist shares his thoughts on the threatened river lifeline. He tells us about the state of rivers in Austria and in Europe and reports on

Study: Reforestation proposal for the Vjosa catchment

 04.10.2023

This study defines clear steps and locations to start an afforestation project in the Vjosa catchment. The authors propose ten pilot areas to start the afforestation. As there is no autochthonous planting material available on the market, it has to be grown from diaspores / mother plants from the region in a forest garden to be

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