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A delegation of 40 scientists from Albania and European Union countries appealed on Friday to the Albanian government to protect the Vjosa river delta from mass tourism, including from plans to build resorts in Zvërnec and the island of Sazan by President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. .
According to a notice distributed by the environmental organizations EuroNatur, Riverwatch and EcoAlbania, scientists requested the inclusion of the Vjosa delta within the "National Park of the Wild Vjosa River".
"This delta faces many threats from the Albanian government's vision for mass tourism. Recently, the government plans to build a luxury resort with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, inside the Vjosa delta," says the announcement of environmental organizations, part of the "Save the Blue Heart of Europe" campaign.
Kushner declared a few weeks ago that he plans to develop tourist resorts on the island of Sazan and the area of Zvrnec, raising serious questions about the damage to the environment and protected areas.
And this investment, according to the statement, "is only the tip of the iceberg of destructive plans for this delicate ecosystem", if we were to refer to the government's master plan for the area.
Foreign and local scientists, part of this delegation, accuse the government of destructive plans aimed at mass tourism and advocate for an ecologically compatible alternative such as eco-tourism.
"It is obvious to all the scientists who participated in the Science Week that the Vjosa delta deserves a high conservation status and should be included in the Vjosa Wild River National Park," Fritz Schiemer from the University of Vienna was quoted as saying.
According to him, "amidst the lure of luxury tourism, we must remember the incomparable ecological importance of the Vjosa delta, a unique treasure in all of Europe".
Even for professor Aleko Miho from the University of Tirana, the findings of the scientific delegation should be taken into account by the government.
"We are drafting a comprehensive report of our data and call on the Albanian government to recognize the ecological importance of this delicate area and include it in the Wild River Vjosa National Park, in accordance with IUCN standards," said Miho.
Meanwhile, the Vjosa river delta is endangered by another big project strongly opposed by environmental organizations, that of Vlora International Airport, which is in the construction phase.
According to environmental studies, of the 258 deltas and river estuaries assessed in the region, only 4% of them are in good condition. Vjosa and the neighboring deltas of the Shkumbin and Seman rivers in Albania constitute the last large and dynamic deltas, which carry incomparable value for the entire Mediterranean Sea and Europe.
The delegation of 40 scientists during a week collected data of various disciplines in the partially unexplored and untouched delta of Vjosa, from the study of fish, mammals, birds, vegetation, insects and to the meticulous monitoring of water quality and microplastics.
Similar expeditions in the Vjosa basin took place in 2017 and 2021, playing a key role in highlighting the ecological values of the Vjosa, which avoided hydropower projects and paved the way for the protection of this river.
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