Another Albanian river at risk: the beautiful Valbona river is facing the construction of several planned hydropower plants along its course, not stopping at national parks and other strictly protected area - as so often the case. Local communities are protesting and need your help: please sign and share the petition addressed to Prime Minister Edi Rama!
Between January 22 and 24, the first “River Film Festival Berlin” takes place in the Moviemento Cinema in the Kreuzberg district. Riverwatch stands in connection with two selected films of the festival: “Damocracy” und “One for the River: The Vjosa Story”
++ Other financiers must follow suit ++ The World Bank withdrew its funding for one of the two big hydropower projects inside MavrovoNational Park in Macedonia.
A wave of hydropower development fuelled by European public funding and EU companies is endangering pristine river environments in the Balkans, finds a new study by CEE Bankwatch Network released today. The extensive analysis shows that multilateral development banks are playing a key role.
++ EBRD and World Bank shall withdraw from projects – further assessment requested ++ For the time being, no hydropower projects are to be built in Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia. This was decided at the meeting of the Bern Convention Standing Committee – Europe’s most important nature convention – in Strasbourg last Friday (December 4, 2015)