News

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.

Kosovo violates international law

 18.11.2024

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. 

New study identifies crucial spawning sites for the endangered Huchen in Bosnia’s Upper Drina Basin

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. 

Victory for Nature: The Rzav River (BiH) Flows Free!

 10.10.2024

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.

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