The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has started a green development project in the river basin of the Vjosa in Albania.
The basin which covers 681,000 hectares and is the second-largest in the country and the river is one of the longest transboundary rivers in the Balkans. The FAO has launched a project that aims to implement effective and improved management of the Vjosa valley’s natural resources. They expressed their determination to support farmers and authorities through sustainable development.
The initiative will seek to achieve Sustainable Development Goals that concern life on land and climate action. Funding has been provided by the SDG Acceleration Fund with contributions from the Norweigan government. The project also forms a part of a wider programme managing natural resources in a sustainable way.
The river, so far, has not been subjected to large damming or channelling projects, making it one of the last remaining natural flow systems in Europe. This gives the Vjosa both national and international importance.
A strong focus will be given to sustainable land use, increasing soil fertility, combating pollution and general degradation. FAO will also help farmers and institutions to better cope with the impact of climate change on agriculture.
“Besides the above-mentioned activities, FAO will also collaborate with other United Nations agencies, under the lead of the United Nations Development Programme,” said Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative in Albania. “These will support the environment and climate-friendly initiatives in agrobiodiversity and rural tourism in Vjosa valley – Zagori, among others, through knowledge sharing with similar successful initiatives implemented from other areas of Albania.”
The Vjosa is currently under threat from a large dam project and plans to build dozens of hydropower plants on the river and its tributaries. Local NGOs are running a big campaign aimed at getting the government to stop the construction.
Most recently, residents of Kute started a fundraiser to stop construction of a dam and invest in solar power instead.
