Attention all nature lovers! Are you ready to dive deep into the world of river conservation? We are thrilled to announce the launch of The Blue Heart Podcast - a five-episode series that uncovers the groundbreaking scientific findings of the 2022 Neretva Sicence Week.

From May 30th to June 7th 2023, a diverse team of scientists will visit the Neretva River to contriubte to the conservation of this river as knowledgeable experts and scietists. We now call for interested journalists and scientists to exress their interest in participating.

At a formal ceremony in Tepelena this morning, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Minister of the Environment and Tourism Mirela Kumbaro declared the River Vjosa a Wild River National Park. As from today, the entire River Vjosa in Albania from its border with Greece to the Adriatic sea and its free flowing tributaries – a river system totalling more than 400 kilometres in length – have the very high level of protection.

The feasibility study is the result of six months of extensive fieldwork and in-depth analysis by a team of over 30 experts in areas such as eco-tourism, geomorphology, ecology, planning and management of protected areas, sustainable financing of national parks, legislation, and social and environmental impact assessment.

This pilot study provides a general overview of the forest situation in the Vjosa basin, discusses problems and defines areas where pilot reforestation projects are to be implemented soon.

On May 6th, EcoAlbania together with 28 residents of Brataj village and the Association "Impetus", filed a lawsuit against four hydropower plants planned on the Shushica river to the Administrative Court of Tirana/Albania. The Shushica is one of the most important tributaries of the Vjosa River, which carries high natural and cultural values.

The German development bank KfW has today confirmed that it has dropped plans to finance the controversial Janjići hydropower plant on the river Bosna in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The plant would entail a 16 m high dam and would flood a picturesque section of the river with a series of rapids upstream from Zenica.

'Vjosa Forever' chronicles the ongoing struggle to secure the future of the unique Vjosa river system, from political uncertainty and opportunistic greed to the hopes of creating a Vjosa National Park (the first of its kind in Europe). With an Albanian election in April of 2021, river-lovers, local citizens and global conservationists fear that this ‘Queen of Europe’ faces its greatest danger yet. At this historic moment, people everywhere have an obligation to speak for the Vjosa; to keep it running wild, forever.

Today, 20 Albanian environmental organisations under the direction of EcoAlbania submitted a detailed proposal for the creation of the Vjosa National Park to the Minister of Tourism and Environment Blendi Klosi. The group of NGOs feel compelled to take this step since Albanian government representatives have been announcing the national park for months, but have not taken any steps towards its implementation.

++ Residents block illegal construction of hydropower plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina ++ Today, residents and environmental activists blocked construction works on the river Bjelava and its tributary, the Mala Bjelava, despite the ban on assembly and Corona-related curfew. From 7 am, about two dozen people prevented workers from reaching the construction site. Unable to resume their works, they eventually left.