News

Save Komarnica Camp returns this May

From May 20–22, river defenders will once again gather at Komarnica for a pivotal edition of the Camp on Komarnica. This year's gathering carries special significance, as the campaign to protect the Komarnica River approaches a crucial decision point from the Environmental Protection Agency.

2025 Goldman Environmental Prize for EcoAlbania's Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika

On 21 April 2025, Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika received the renowned 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize. The prize is endowed with 200,000 USD.  They were given the prize for their indispensable commitment to igniting a social movement to establish the Vjosa Wild River National Park, the first of its kind in Europe.

 

Webinar: Latest findings from the Sarantaporos Science Week

Join us for this webinar to get the newest updates on the Save the Blue Heart of Europe Campaign, dive into the results of the Sarantaporos Science Week 2024 and learn how scientific arguments contribute to the protection of highly intact river systems.

North Macedonia: Legal delays leave protected areas vulnerable to hydropower development

Despite a proposed Nature Protection Law that would ban small hydropower plants in protected areas in North Macedonia, delays have allowed destructive projects to continue—threatening national parks and violating international conservation commitments. What’s standing in the way of stronger protections?

Latest updates on the fight for Komarnica

 26.03.2025

The battle to preserve the pristine Komarnica Canyon in Montenegro has reached a critical stage. Check out the latest updates and learn how you can get involved.  

Studenica River at risk from hydropower project

 21.03.2025

The Serbian organisation for political ecology, Polekol, has submitted a complaint to the Bern Convention, warning that the construction of the small hydroelectric power plant Gradina on the Studenica River will jeopardise protected habitats and species of international significance. 

10 years of hydropower data: 2024 update reveals ongoing threats and wins for Balkan rivers

 14.03.2025

A decade after the first systematic data collection on hydropower development in the Balkans, the latest Balkan Hydropower Update 2024 presents a mixed reality: while significant advocacy efforts have successfully halted many destructive projects, the region’s rivers continue to face ongoing threats. 

Victory for the Janjina River – a tributary of the Drina stays free!

The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering, and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska has officially rejected the Environmental Impact Study for the "Janjina J-1" small hydropower plant, stopping the project in its tracks!

IUCN report recommends: stop water abstraction at Shushica River in Albania and use alternatives

The International Union for Conservation of Nature released an assessment report about the controversial water abstraction project from the Shushica River. The report concluded that the proposed project would severely impact the national park’s biodiversity and fail to comply with IUCN national park standards.

Albanian court halts hydropower projects on Shushica River – Victory for the Vjosa Wild River National Park and civil society

 13.12.2024

On 11 December 2024, a court in Tirana finally ended the threat of hydropower plants on the Shushica - one of the main tributaries of the Vjosa and part of the Vjosa Wild River National Park.

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