Association of Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA)

Dear colleagues, admirer of nature conservation and environmental protection

Through this letter we would like to inform that the Association of Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) in collaboration with our international partners Euronatur and Riverwatch, about 2 months from now has started a pan-Balkanic campaign in the frame of the initiative to preserve and protect the Balkan rivers from human intervention through a comprehensive platform in which has been invited most of the actors and factors that are operating in the environmental issues or them who have influence on these issues.

In our Campaign, we concentrate on three Key Areas that are particularly valuable : the Aoós-Vjosa River in Albania, the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia, and the Sava River in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Needless to say, all of them are threatened by large dam projects.

Recently we have been aware of a Managment Plan that is drafted and approved by the Ministry of Environment of Greece in cooperation also with the Ministry of Transports of Greece, as well as we are aware that you have strongly opposed this plan by all the democratic means, plan that consist in deviation of a significant part of Aoos River water through the lake of Ioannina for irrigation, for enriching of the water of this lake or for hydropower purposes.

According to this argument line like you are thinking, we think that this could possibly be an unacceptable and unrecoverable environmental intervention. Furthrmore we belive that your vision and oursconverge at a point which is the protection and preservation of natural values ​​that Aoos River carries on.

For this reason let us openly and clearly express our will and our invitation for a successful collaboration in order to achieve this common goal together and let us consider the Aoos River as the “ambassador” that with its multidimensoinal values ​​should built the bridges of comunication and collaboration between us since it knows no borders.

Looking forward for your fast and positive response.

Kind regards, 

PPNEA

For more info please find in the attached files or contact us (o.nika@ppnea.org or b.guri@ppnea.org ) or in the link below: http://balkanrivers.net/

Vjosa Declaration by Dimitris Drougias

Fact Sheet Vjosa by Dimitris Drougias