Albania

This article highlights the protection of one of the last unobstructed rivers in all of Europe. The Vjosa River, which begins in the Pindus mountains of Greece and ends at the Adriatic Coast in Albania, has been declared a national park by the Albanian government and will be well protected with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category park II status. This declaration protects all 118 miles that run through Albania, three main tributaries, and some of the surrounding land. The park is set to open in 2024 and will allow recreational tourism as well as other activities, like local fishing, particularly for the surrounding residents. The government is also collaborating with Greece in order to create the Aoos-Vjosa park, a plan which would protect the entirety of the river across the two nations. This is a historic win for Europe, as the continent has the most obstructed river system in the world. Photo Credit: Nicolas Jehly/Unsplash