Press Conference in Tirana

From left to right: Lavdosh Ferruni (Friends of Vjosa Initiative), Olsi Nika (EcoAlbania), Ulrich Eichelmann (Riverwatch), Gabriel Schwaderer (EuroNatur) and Besjana Guri (EcoAlbania).
From left to right: Lavdosh Ferruni (Friends of Vjosa Initiative), Olsi Nika (EcoAlbania), Ulrich Eichelmann (Riverwatch), Gabriel Schwaderer (EuroNatur) and Besjana Guri (EcoAlbania)., © Olta Hadushaj
“If the tributaries are impounded, ultimately, the Vjosa will be destroyed as well. It is like cutting all the branches of a tree – the entire tree will ultimately die”, says Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch.
“If the tributaries are impounded, ultimately, the Vjosa will be destroyed as well. It is like cutting all the branches of a tree – the entire tree will ultimately die”, says Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch., © Besjana Guri/ EcoAlbania
Besjana Guri/ EcoAlbania
On March 12, we held a press conference in Tirana and presented a paper, which for the first time reveals the full extent of the threat to the Vjosa catchment area. According to this paper, the last big wild river of Europe is at risk of complete destruction. A total of 33 hydropower plants are projected along the Vjosa and its tributaries, six of which in Greece (where the Vjosa is called Aoos) and 27 in Albania. However, resistance against these projects is increasing and an alternative idea is enjoying more and more popularity: the establishment of a Vjosa National Park. A new Albanian initiative is supporting this vision. Read our press release here: The Vjosa River at a Crossroad – Dam Tsunami or National Park?
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