Sarandaporos River Science Week: Protecting the Vjosa River
A Science Week on the Sarandaporos River starts this Friday, June 28, an international initiative to protect and preserve Aoos/Vjosa, the last large free-flowing river in Europe.
Aoos or Vjosa is a river in northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania, with a total length of about 272 kilometres, of which the first 80 km are in Greece and the remaining 192 km in Albania. It has resisted human interference for now, making it the only wild river in Europe. In March 2023, it was classified as Europe’s first wild river national park.
The week-long science event will be held at Sarandaporos river, one of Aoos main tributaries. It is an understudied part of Greece’s ecology and the Aoos River’s basin.
“Aoos without barriers: We join forces for the first Cross-Border Free River Park in Europe, Aoos/Vjosa,” is the message the organizer Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA) wants to communicate to the world. MedINA also collaborated with Euronatur, RiverWatch and Eco Albania for this event.
The goal is to understand the rivers’ biodiversity to better protect it. European volunteer scientists from seven countries, five research centers and 17 universities will work together to collect data on the ecosystem.
This international event, the first to be held in Greece, promotes the idea of a Transboundary Wild River Park in Europe, through the Greek-Albanian border, that will protect the entirety of the Aoos area including its streams and tributaries like Sarandoporos.
The Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy categorized the last unprotected part of the Aoos River as a Protected Natural Formation and Protected Landscape in 2023. This part spans from Northern Pindos National Park to the Greek-Albanian border, including the largest part of the Sarandaporos River basin.
However, the area is still under attack. The potential construction of dams and installation of hydroelectric plant stations near Sarandaporos and throughout the Aoos catchment area pose a threat to the entire ecosystem. Technological disruptions can irreversibly damage the Aoos area impacting both Greece and Albania.
Looking to the future, this event, and its supporters hope to encourage increased protection for the entire Aoos River ecosystem.
