Rivers of Sharr Mountain National Park, Kosovo

River in focus: The mountain rivers and streams of Sharr Mountain National Park: Kaluderka, Durlov, Blatestica and Lepenac.

Country: Kosovo

Local partners: EcoZ, local activists

Project goal: To restore the mountain rivers within the national park by removing the four hydropower plants along with all associated infrastructure (weirs, pipelines, etc.).

Background

Sharr National Park in Kosovo is renowned for its rich biodiversity and breathtaking mountain landscapes. © Bruno D’Amicis

Sharr National Park in Kosovo spans over 1,100 km² and is renowned for its rich biodiversity and breathtaking mountain landscapes. The park shelters a wide variety of endangered wildlife, including brown bears, wolves, and lynx. The Sharr Mountains continue across the border into North Macedonia, where an additional 500 km² is protected as a national park — together forming one of the most valuable transboundary ecosystems in the Balkans.

Ongoing threats

The four illegally built plants divert the water of the rivers and streams into pipelines, leaving the riverbed almost dry. We want to see the removed © EcoZ

Despite its status as a National Park, the ecological integrity of Sharr has been severely compromised by illegal hydropower development, creating an ongoing risk to its unique biodiversity.

Illegal construction & damage: Between 2020 and 2021, a local investor constructed four hydropower plants (Štrpce, Sharr, Brezovica, and Viça). Although the powerhouses are outside the park, the projects illegally draw water from streams inside the park, leaving riverbeds nearly or completely dry. These projects directly violate national laws prohibiting economic exploitation within National Parks.
Legal victory, unclear enforcement: Local communities organised sustained opposition and protests against the illegal construction and the non-transparent legal process. Although the Ministry of Environment subsequently refused to grant environmental permits for the Sharr and Štrpce plants (effectively prohibiting their operation), the on-the-ground operational status of all four plants remains unclear and a source of deep community frustration.
The persistent threat: As long as the physical infrastructure (weirs, pipelines) remains in place, the river systems are vulnerable. Investors continue to push for renewed operation, undermining the park’s legal protection and ensuring the risk of ongoing ecological degradation persists. The full removal of existing infrastructure is essential to safeguard the rivers of Sharr National Park.

How we are taking action

With this visual action, we aimed to draw attention the illegally built dams within the national park © EcoZ

The challenges are threefold: hydropower plants built inside a national park, dams degrading a valuable river ecosystem, and their operation without valid permits.

Our strategy is built on two pillars, legal enforcement and public visibility, which we pursue through the following actions:

Advocacy and awareness: Together with local partners and our media team, we expose legal violations and ecological damage, raise national and international awareness, engage in policy advocacy, and promote the vision of a truly protected, dam-free Sharr Mountain National Park.
Scientific monitoring: We support research to document biodiversity and track river health, providing the evidence needed to strengthen protection.
Legal support: Our legal team in Kosovo is working to ensure that all four hydropower plants are permanently shut down and dismantled.

Rivers of Sharr Mountain National Park, Kosovo

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