The River Vjosa in Albania is Europe's first wild river national park following a 10-year collaborative campaign that sets a new standard for nature conversation.

The national park spans 12,727 hectares and its creation means that the 400km of continuous natural river flow of the Vjosa and its tributaries will be preserved and protected from development projects such as dams, hydropower plants, and gravel extraction. The campaign was lead by Save the Blue Heart of Europe, a collaboration between environmental non-government organisations including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), EuroNatur, Riverwatch; the Albanian and Greek Governments; and private sector actors including outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

The Vjosa River flows from the Pindus mountains in Greece through narrow canyons, plains, and forests in Albania to the Adriatic coast. It is rich in aquatic species and supports wildlife of national and global significance including otters, the endangered Egyptian vulture, and the critically endangered Balkan lynx, of which only 15 are estimated to remain in Albania.

“We have fought long and hard with our partners for this day, with court hearings, petitions and discussions with those responsible in government and with local communities. Today we can celebrate,” says Annette Spangenberg, EuroNatur’s head of conservation.

“Now we will continue campaigning for the other free-flowing tributaries and the river delta to be given protection so that the entirety of the Vjosa’s unique river eco-system can be preserved for ever.”

At a formal ceremony in southwestern Albania, the country's Prime Minister and the environmental and tourism minister declared the River Vjosa a Wild River National Park and it was given IUCN category II park status, a high level of protection similar to that of a wilderness. The category covers large-scale ecological processes, species, and ecosystems and is expected to come into force by 2024.

Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi, Albania’s tourism and environment minister, said the creation of the park was part of the country’s evolution.“Vjosa is a symbol of human history and also a very important part of the history of our country,” she said. “Maybe Albania does not have the power to change the world, but it can create successful models of protecting biodiversity and natural assets, and we are proud to announce the creation of this first national park on one of the last wild rivers in Europe.”

A Wild River National Park exclusively protects rivers over a large areas, including entire river systems from source to sea. Rivers are among the most threatened habitat types worldwide which is shown in the example of migratory fish species in Europe.

Since 1970, populations of species such as eel, grayling, river herring, sturgeon have declined by 94%, mainly as a result of river straightening and dam construction.

"This Wild River National Park is not just an important milestone for the Vjosa and Albania but for river conservation across the whole of Europe. It establishes, for the first time, a conservation concept where an entire river system is protected and not just individual sections of a river," says Ulrich Eichelmann, head of Riverwatch.

"The concept of a Wild River National Park should act as a model for other rivers in Europe, such as along the Moraca in Montenegro and the Rivers Neretva and Una in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Today sees an important message going out from Albania to the whole of Europe."

The Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign aims to protect other rivers of high natural value in the Balkans, which are threatened by more than 3,400 hydropower projects. The campaign is coordinated by the international eNGOs and implemented jointly with partner organisations in the Balkan countries.