News - Study

The Perilous State of Mediterranean Deltas

 11.04.2024

Deltas, where rivers meet the sea, are intricate landscapes shaped by millennia of natural forces. However, they're not just facing challenges; they're in crisis. A comprehensive study delves into Mediterranean deltas, revealing a story of resilience and the urgent need for conservation. 258 deltas and river mouths in the Mediterranean Sea have undergone assessment. Shockingly, a mere 4% of these vital ecosystems remain in their pristine, untouched state today.

STUDY: Freshwater biodiversity impacted by hydropower plants in the Sharr Mountains National Park

 07.02.2024

This rapid field assessments conducted in Autum 2023 in the National Park Sharr Mountain encompassed an extensive evaluation of fish and macroinvertebrates, with a specific focus on aquatic insects, in the Lepenc River and its tributaries.

Preliminary Report of the Neretva Science Week 2023

Neretva Science Week 2023 took place from May 30th to June 7th. A diverse team of 62 scientists from 17 countries gathered in small town Ulog, to contribute to the conservation of the Neretva river system. Here, we gathered the preliminary results of Neretva Science Week 2023, covering 19 studies or fields of expertise. READ MORE

Study: Reforestation proposal for the Vjosa catchment

 04.10.2023

This study defines clear steps and locations to start an afforestation project in the Vjosa catchment. The authors propose ten pilot areas to start the afforestation. As there is no autochthonous planting material available on the market, it has to be grown from diaspores / mother plants from the region in a forest garden to be

Vjosa Wild River National Park: vision, roadmap, and feasibility study

 24.01.2023

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.

New study on the forest situation in the Vjosa basin

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.

Hydropower projects on Balkan Rivers: 2022 Update

 02.11.2022

Every two years, we analyse the situation of hydropower development in the Balkans. Since the last update of this kind in 2020, another 246 HPPs came into operation, leaving hundreds of kilometres of rivers and streams devastated. The good news: some positive signals have recently come from Bosnia and Hercegovina and Albania.

Preliminary Report of the Neretva Science Week

The first findings of the expedition were summarized in this report, to provide some very preliminary impressions, highlights and an overview from each of the specialty groups of what was done during this impressively international and collaborative effort. The data collected will be analysed in much more detail over the next months and a more detailed final report is expected by the end of the year 2022.

New report: Southeast Europe hydropower investment risks are high and rising

 27.07.2022

Greenfield large hydropower investments across southeast Europe face major risks and low realisation rates, according to a new report by CEE Bankwatch, EuroNatur, Riverwatch and WWF Adria published today, which also highlights nine high-risk project cases. Vulnerability to drought, legal issues, increasing public resistance and lack of financing are among the factors which have stopped a slew of large hydropower projects in recent years.

New report: European Investment Bank hydropower failures necessitate tighter environmental and social standards

 27.10.2021

++ The European Investment Bank has financed a series of damaging hydropower projects since 2010, which underline the need to tighten its environmental and social standards, according to a new report published this week by CEE Bankwatch Network. ++

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