Albania’s Vjosa, ‘Europe’s last wild river’
Lucas Bischoff Photo/shutterstock
When you look at an abandoned construction site, it’s not hard to wonder what happened. We floated along the bend of the river on a raft to two huge artificial dykes beneath a scarred hillside, stranded miners and a cement hopper.
These are the ruins of the Kalivati Dam project on Albania’s Vjosa River, called “Europe’s last wild river”. If developers had had their way, this would now be the site of a 43-meter-tall hydroelectric dam with a vast reservoir behind it. Instead, in March the Albanian government declared the entire Vijosa River and many of its tributaries as Europe’s first (and possibly last) Wild River National Park. This is a permanent salvation from the fate that has befallen so many. Rivers in this part of the world.
Vijosa is special in that it is completely free-flowing. There are no dams, embankments, or artificial embankments, except for the remains of the Kalibachi Project. It’s still like this. In many cases.
Dams produce hydroelectric power, but they have disastrous effects on biodiversity and other important ecological gifts that rivers give us. Conserving the Vijosa is therefore a huge victory for nature, including the endangered Balkan lynx and European eel, and an inspiration for other river conservation projects. This is also a rare bit of good news against the backdrop of shocking conditions in many of the world’s rivers. But that battle…
