People are rising up to protect Europe’s largest wild river—the Vjosa. This waterway runs untamed from source to sea, embracing a mosaic of habitats and cultures that have been tied to it for thousands of years. Vjosa Forever chronicles the ongoing struggle to secure the future of this unique river system, from political uncertainty and opportunistic greed to the hope of creating a Vjosa National Park (the first of its kind in Europe). With an Albanian election in April of 2021, river-lovers, local citizens and global conservationists fear that this “Queen of Europe” faces its greatest danger yet. At this historic moment, people everywhere have an obligation to speak for the Vjosa; to keep it running wild, forever.
The worldwide famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio showed again his support for the Vjosa River in Albania, asking the Albanian government to not allow the construction of dams in “one of Europe’s last wild rivers” as he has previously called the river. “The Vjosa River, its species, and the livelihoods that depend on them are under constant threat of destruction from dams […] sign the petition to ask the Albanian government to support Vjosa National Park,” wrote DiCaprio on hist Twitter account.
“Albania’s Vjosa River is the largest wild river in Europe. From the mountains of Greece to the Adriatic Sea in Albania, it spans 300 kilometers, completely free of artificial barriers, like hydropower dams. The rivers and streams that are tributaries of the Vjosa are home to more than 1,100 wildlife species, many of which are threatened,” wrote DiCaprio to his 47.9 million followers, adding that “Vjosa is the crown of the #BlueHeartofEurope and people across Albania want to protect it forever.” According to DiCaprio, by creating Vjosa National Park Albania would have the very first wild river park in Europe.