The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention has called on the Albanian government to declare the Vjosa River and its surroundings a national park and reassess Vlora International Airport’s situation.
The committee met during the first week of December in Strasbourg to discuss the status of the Vjosa’s protection and the Vlora airport. Currently, the region has been given protected area status, which is not enough to protect it from HPPs, the development of Vlora Airport and oil exploration by Shell.
The Albanian government has failed to give Europe’s last wild river the ultimate level of protection that comes with National Park. Environment minister Mirela Kumbaro said she had agreed with environmental NGOs that protected area status would be enough for now. But the environmental NGOs in attendance said they did not agree to this.
Albanian Environment Minister Claims NGOs Agreed not to Designate Vjosa as National Park for Now
The committee questioned why the Albanian authorities have failed to consider a comprehensive proposal from EcoAlbania and the IUCN to designate it a National Park.
While the proposal was put forward in February 2021, they have not received an official response.
The Impact of the Vlora Airport on Albania’s Protected Narta Lagoon
The Bern Convention will now scrutinise Vlora’s proposed airport, and a team of independent experts will conduct an on-site assessment in 2022.
“The field visit of a special mission of the Bern Convention is an expression of the extraordinary concern of national and international organisations regarding the urbanisation of the Vjosa-Narta area and the irreversible negative consequences of Vlora airport in the biological diversity of Albania. We call on the government to protect the protected areas and to give up their alienation of construction land “, said Taulant Bino, President of the Ornithological Association of Albania (AOS).
Environmental Organizations Call for Halt to Vlora Airport Project
Additionally, the committee expressed concerns about reducing the national network of protected areas. They called on Albanian authorities to cooperate with local actors and the international community and to abide by the iUCN and Energy Community Treaty when making decisions that could impact the long-term sustainability of nature conservation in Albania.
Comment: The Possible Impacts of Shell Oil Exploration in Block 4 and Around the Vjosa River
