TIRANA, March 13 /ATA/ The River Vjosa, Europe’s last wild river, was designated by the Albanian government “National Park,” the second category of protection that is much higher in rankings than that of “natural park” it was one year ago.
Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, said on Monday after the government meeting that, “we have extended this protection area up to 12,727 ha, which consists of water and coastal areas, together with some other land areas that together with the 3 tributaries of the Vjosa, namely the Drino, Bënçë and Shushicë make what is today the first wild river park in Europe.”
“All the hard work capped by this legal act is the first phase of this work that started at the end of 2021. After the first phase of the research about the natural park, we have worked closely with environmental associations, the International Union of Nature Conservation, who also certified us at the Montreal COP15 summit for the international standards achieved in the entire process of research and preparation of this national park,” Kumbaro said.
Kumbaro also emphasized the close cooperation with a world-renowned company in the USA “Patagonia” which has been a travelling companion on this journey to move ahead with a second phase, drafting of the management plan and the master plan of the area.”
On June 13, 2022, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment and the US organization “Patagonia” for the launch of joint work to designate Vjosa a “National Park.”
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