Scientists for Balkan Rivers

Scientists are important allies in our mission to protect Balkan rivers. The scientists of this network focus their research on Balkan rivers to provide biological data for legal cases against hydropower projects. These experts not only lend their data but also their independent voices to protect rivers.

The Neretva Science Week: 50 scientists, seven days, one river, one goal! From 27 June to 3 July 2022, scientists, several journalists, activists, chefs the cuisine and one artist from across Europe participated in a science week on the Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the multidisciplinary expedition, the scientists studied and collected samples of the local biodiversity. We will use the data collected during the week to stop hydropower projects on this magical river in legal proceedings. Joshua D. Lim
Groundwater: Making the invisible visible! Groundwater is where we source most of our fresh drinking water. Of similar importance, without groundwater, rivers would run dry and face a deterioration of water quality and ecosystem health. In this video, Dr Christian Griebler, professor of limnology at the University of Vienna in Austria, is seen conducting research in the tributaries of the Vjosa River in Albania. He explains a little bit more about these ‘working-class heroes’ and why it is important we protect them. Joshua D. Lim
Science week 2021 at the Vjosa tributaries: Followed by several international and national media teams, a science delegation from Austria, Albania, Italy and Germany spent a week in early June at two major Vjosa tributaries Shushica and Bënça to collect multidisciplinary data. The idea is to prove ecological value of these tributaries in order to fight of projected hydropower plants (HPPs) in administration and court. With this approach we successfully stopped dam plans on the Vjosa. Joshua D. Lim
Vjosa Science Week 2017: about 30 scientists from 4 countries and various expertise participated in one week of research on the previously almost unexplored Vjosa river in Albania – in the area of the planned Poçem dam, which will destroy Europe's last big wild river. All experts were amazed by the complexity and sheer size of the river system and every expertise found something at the Vjosa – species, habitat types, dynamic river processes – that has been long lost on all regulated rivers in central Europe. Gregor Subic/Kawka Production
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