Vjosa Science Week 2017

The Vjosa River

Vjosa ©  Piotr Bednarek Wolne Rzeki

 

The Vjosa River is the last major wild river in Europe outside of Russia, flowing freely for nearly 270 kilometres from the Pindus Mountains to the Adriatic Sea. From a scientific perspective, the Vjosa River holds immense value as it is one of the last places in Europe where the dynamics of a natural river system can still be studied. 

The river is unique due to its expansive and open floodplain, which provides a range of diverse habitats for species that have disappeared from other European rivers. This pristine condition of the Vjosa is highly valuable for water purification processes and flood mitigation and supports a diverse array of wildlife, underscoring its ecological importance. Despite its significance, the biodiversity and ecological importance of the Vjosa have not yet been thoroughly assessed.

Construction site of planned HPP in Kalivaç © Roland Dorozhani

The planned hydropower projects in Poçem and Kalivaç threatened to destroy this unique river system. In Poçem, a dam project was being pushed through without a proper environmental assessment, leaving the potential impacts on the entire river system unknown. Prof. Fritz Schiemer from the University of Vienna was leading this scientific initiative to show how a thorough EIA should be conducted for one of Europe's most valuable natural landscapes.

Science week

Newly discovered stonefly species: Isoperla vjosae © Wolfram Graf

In 2017, a first step towards protecting the Vjosa and its network was taken. With this, the Science Weeks initiative was launched, which was a project to take an initial inventory and assess the ecological relevance of the Vjosa River in Albania.

Between April 23 and 29, 2017, 25 scientists from Austria, Albania, Germany, and Slovenia travelled to Albania to research Europe’s last wild river. Situated near the village of Kutë, a river section five kilometres in length and two kilometres in width was studied. This section was the main focus of the studies, as it was endangered from being submerged by the construction of a dam reservoir. The research areas included an initial survey of the flora and fauna to establish a basic inventory of biodiversity and geodetic surveys.

The first results of the research were presented via a preliminary report and indicated an astonishing diversity and complexity of the landscape. The Vjosa creates, through its largely unobstructed and dynamic flow, a diverse range of habitats. Many animal and plant species that have long since disappeared from European rivers due to the loss of their habitat due to containment and damming of rivers are still abundant here. 101 aquatic invertebrate species were found within this research, at least 41 species of which have been documented for the first time for the Fauna of Albania, including a new fish and stonefly species.

Another critical in situ survey was the first mapping of the river landscape. Findings reveal significant sediment transport, suggesting that the planned reservoir could fill up with sediments within 20 to 30 years. Consequently, energy generation is expected to decrease substantially over time, resulting in a lose-lose situation. Upstream hydropower projects, including the Poçem project, not only put the river section in the construction area at risk but negatively affect the entire downstream river course to the Delta. Effects can be seen in a drop in groundwater levels, the drying of the surrounding landscape, loss of species and even coastal erosion. This shows just roughly how the construction of dams and barriers throughout a river can have cascading effects on the whole ecosystem.

Within this Science Week, on April 26, a press conference was held at gravel island on the Vjosa in South Albania. The “Scientists for Vjosa” gathered to raise awareness of the impacts expected by constructing the projected dam in Poçem. They called on Prime Minister Edi Rama to halt the hydropower project and conduct a thorough environmental impact assessment (EIA). They demanded a comprehensive three-year research program, including studying sediment transport and assessing the impact on groundwater. 

Scientists celebrate a job well done © jens-steingaesser.de

Although a week of research is a step in the right direction, it is merely the beginning of assessing the ecological importance of an intact Vjosa network. The Albanian government must insist on a comprehensive environmental impact assessment that thoroughly examines all potential consequences of a dam construction. The aim is to protect the Vjosa, its tributaries and its entire catchment area and thus create the first Wild River National Park.

See the preliminary report for first results and breath-taking photos of the Vjosa River.

View the 2017 Vjosa Science Week press release

Reports resulting from / connected to this initiative are:

Hauer, C., Aigner, H., Fuhrmann, M., Holzapfel, P., Rindler, R.,Pessenlehner, S., Pucher, D., Skrame, K.,Liedermann, M. 2019. Measuring of sediment transport and morphodynamics at the Vjosa River / Albania, 85 pp.

Schiemer, Fritz; Drescher, Anton; Hauer, Christoph; Schwarz, Ulrich. (2018). The Vjosa River corridor: a riverine ecosystem of European significance. 155. 1-40.

Meulenbroek, Paul; Egger, Gregory; Trautner, Jürgen; Drescher, Anton; Randl, Marlene; Hammerschmied, Urban et al. (2021): The River Vjosa – A Baseline Survey on Biodiversity, Potential Impacts and Legal Framework for Hydropower Development.

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