Vjosa River: Blue Heart of Europe becomes the continent’s first ever wild river national park

Albania’s Vjosa river has simply been declared Europe’s first wild river Nationwide Park.

It is without doubt one of the final free-flowing wild rivers left on the continent. Flowing from the Pindus mountain vary in Greece to the Adriatic Sea in Albania, the Vjosa spans 300 kilometres stuffed with unspoiled wilderness and is totally freed from synthetic obstacles like hydropower dams.

These rivers and streams are dwelling to greater than 1,100 wildlife species, together with 13 animals and two crops assessed as globally threatened by the IUCN. 

“Vjosa is an emblem of human historical past and likewise an important a part of the historical past of our nation,” says Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi, Albania’s Minister of Tourism and Atmosphere.

“Possibly Albania doesn’t have the ability to alter the world, however it might create profitable fashions of defending biodiversity and pure property and we’re proud to announce the creation of this primary Nationwide Park on one of many final wild rivers in Europe.”

The Albanian authorities has created a 12,727-hectare Nationwide Park together with the 190 kilometres-long Vjosa, the place over 60,000 folks have lived for hundreds of years, Kumbaro Furxhi provides. 

It means the waterway can be conserved as a residing, free-flowing river, for the advantage of folks and nature.

A ‘distinctive collaboration’ to avoid wasting the Vjosa River

Patagonia, IUCN, and the Save the Blue Coronary heart of Europe marketing campaign NGOs have been engaged within the work to guard the wild rivers of the Balkan Peninsular for the final eight years. 

Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio additionally supported the marketing campaign to safe the river nationwide park.

“This distinctive collaboration between authorities, civil society and enterprise is testomony to the ability of collective motion and we hope it can encourage others to return collectively to guard the wild locations we have now left, in a significant means,” says Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia. 

“Standing on the banks of the Vjosa at this time, we’re humbled to know that this distinctive river and its wildlife can be conserved eternally.”

As a part of the marketing campaign, a brief documentary referred to as Vjosa Without end, created by Patagonia, requested involved residents in all places to indicate their help for a Vjosa wild river Nationwide Park. 

What threats was the Vjosa river going through?

The turbulent historical past of the Balkans overshadows the truth that it’s dwelling to the final wild rivers in Europe. Collectively, they’ve huge ecological worth.

For households who’ve been residing within the Vjosa Valley for 1000’s of years, there’s an emotional relationship with the river. They wish to hold it the way in which it’s.

Hydropower was one of many primary threats to the river’s pristine nature.

In comparison with different renewable power sources, it has storage capability and is taken into account extra steady and dependable than conventional photo voltaic and wind power.

However is the one renewable power supply sending species to extinction, in keeping with Patagonia. And 91 per cent of hydropower initiatives within the Balkans produce little power, but have main impacts on the setting and folks.

The Vjosa wild river Nationwide Park will facilitate options to challenges confronted by the river resembling water and land air pollution, waste administration, and deforestation. The Albanian authorities may even create financial alternatives for native communities, by accountable tourism, and assist handle the issue of depopulation within the space.