News

Application to construct the Nevačka SHPP has been rejected, kilometres of rivers saved

More river kilometres have been saved! The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of Republika Srpska has officially rejected the Environmental Impact Study for the proposed Nevačka small hydropower plant in the Bosna Basin in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

International Day of Action for Rivers: Spotlight on Montenegro’s threatened Komarnica Canyon

 09.03.2026

On 14 March, International Day of Action for Rivers, the documentary "Komarnica: The Wild That Remains" will premiere. An exclusive pre-screening webinar on 12 March will offer an early look, while a growing petition continues to rally international support for the protection of the Komarnica River.

Europe’s last wild rivers under siege: Nearly 2,500 km of pristine Balkan rivers lost since 2012

The first comparable regional assessment in over a decade documents the deterioration of Europe's last wild rivers, with pristine stretches dropping from 30% to 23% since 2012 - a staggering loss of 2,450 river kilometres. Albania’s rivers have deteriorated faster than those of any other Balkan country, largely due to hydropower and river regulation. 

Bern Convention reports no progress on key river protection cases in the Balkans

In December 2025, the Bern Convention Standing Committee met in Strasbourg to address critical conservation disputes across the Balkans. Key reviews focused on hydropower developments in Mavrovo National Park (North Macedonia) and along the Neretva River (Bosnia and Herzegovina), alongside the construction of Vlora airport in Albania’s Vjosa Delta.

Webinar: Rights of Nature in Europe – Should our rivers have rights too?

 16.12.2025

Join us for this critical conversation about the potential and challenges of granting legal rights to rivers in Europe.

Remembering Toni Vorauer

 10.12.2025

There are things one cannot believe because they are so incomprehensible, so beyond words. Toni Vorauer is dead; he passed away completely unexpectedly after a short illness on November 25. We mourn a friend, a colleague. Toni was a conservationist, someone who dedicated himself especially to rivers and bats.

Ecological catastrophe on the Neretva: Deadly fish kill caused by Ulog hydropower operations

A coalition of international and Bosnian scientists, together with leading environmental NGOs, reveal evidence linking the mass mortality of fish and other aquatic life on the affected stretch of the upper Neretva on September 12, 2025, to operational practices at the Ulog Hydropower Plant.

Citizens & NGOs warn UNESCO about Studenica River hydropower threat

Blue Heart partner Polekol has submitted an official letter to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, warning of escalating pressures that threaten to irreversibly damage one of Serbia's most valuable cultural and natural heritage sites: the Studenica River basin.

Major success for the Morača River in Montenegro: Memorandum of Understanding signed to place it under protection

 20.11.2025

The Montenegrin Ministry of Environment, together with EuroNatur and its Montenegrin partner organisations CZIP and CDE-MES, has signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the protection of the Morača.

Komarnica Canyon through the lens

During the summer of 2025, photographer Bruno D'Amicis was tasked with capturing all the unique aspects that make Komarnica Canyon in Montenegro special. His expedition there reminds us of the many reasons this place is worth protecting.

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