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.

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.

EcoZ, together with the NGOs Pishtarët, GAIA Kosovo, and Riverwatch, submitted a complaint to the Energy Community Secretariat in Vienna/Austria against Kosovo regarding the hydropower plants in Sharr National Park. 

A recent study conducted by researchers from Austria’s Boku University provides crucial insights into the status and conservation needs of Danube salmon, or huchen, populations within Bosnia’s Upper Drina Basin. 

Thanks to the determination of local citizens the Government of the Republic of Srpska officially terminated concession contracts for two hydropower plants on the Black and White Rzav Rivers. This follows years of protests that successfully stopped the construction of seven small hydropower plants, ensuring the river’s protection.

Under the banner “Uniting Voices for the Blue Heart of Europe” this year’s Balkan River Summit brought together over 100 international river conservation experts, scientists and activists in Podgorica, Montenegro. The event aimed at uniting river defenders to protect the valuable Balkan rivers and to speak out against the imminent and systematic threat the rivers are facing.

New threats to the Sutjeska and Jabušnica rivers are emerging, as construction of a new hydropower plant threatens the ecosystem of Sutjeska National Park. Concerns over outdated permits and environmental impacts have sparked protests urging authorities to halt these destructive activities. Join the fight!

Local communities and environmental NGOs are celebrating the news that Croatian state authorities have ordered all construction on the Una River to stop immediately.

In a significant step forward for nature protection, the Croatian authorities announced yesterday that they are taking legal action against the construction of a dam on the Una River within a protected area of environmental importance.

River protectors from across Europe are linking arms with the community of the Una Spring in Croatia this Friday to protest the construction of an illegal dam at the source of this unique river, “The One”. Join the protest!