Albania Rafting Group strongly supports the initiative of National and International Civil Society Organizations for the preservation and not the destruction of a bird ecosystem as large as the Vjose-Narte Lagoon. We emphasize the potential that this lagoon has for us, as it is one of our most popular destinations by local and foreign tourists for adventure. People from all over the world come to this lagoon to enjoy the diversity of its ecosystem and also to see some of the endangered bird species. Albania Rafting Group and her partners "Albanian Adventure Resort"."Albanian Rafting Federation" are against any kind of economic model which is not friendly to nature!
Open Letter of National and International Environmental Civil Society Organizations, addressed to the Prime Minister of Albania Mr. Edi Rama, for the Cancellation of the Plans for the Construction of Vlora International Airport, in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area provides open data and details on irreplaceable assets at the national level and beyond. In the area where the construction of the Airport is planned, passes the last wild river of Europe, Vjosa. The letter clearly states that the construction of this airport will cause irreversible damage to the Narte-Vjosa ecosystem, and even to the entire Adriatic coast. The decision to build the "Vlora Airport" would be fatal and would destroy one of the largest wetlands in Europe.
Vjosë-Nartë is the most important breeding site in Albania and one of the most important in Europe for several species of Charadriiformes order, which have populations that go beyond 1% of the total population within the biogeographic region. Such is the case of the pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), the breeding population of which, within the Vjosë-Nartë Protected Landscape, is more than 1% of the total population in the biogeographic region of Southeast Europe, the Black Sea and Turkey. In addition, the area regularly sustains more than 1% of the populations of two species of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region, such as the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) and flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus).
Vjosë-Nartë wetland complex is a world-renowned area for habitat and wildlife diversity. These values have been widely covered by national and international media such as The Guardian, The Telegraph, Euronews, etc., emphasizing the importance of preserving them. The biodiversity of Narta Lagoon has been mentioned and appreciated also by you Mr. Prime Minister, on your online social networks, emphasizing the greatness of the flamingo population and the new species encountered everyday by biologists in this ecosystem.
Read the full article here
Please see the letter in the Albanian language sent to the authorities here.
Sincerely,
Albanian Ornithological Society
Albanian Society for the Protection of Birds and Mammals
BirdLife Europe and Central Asia
Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
Centre for Study and Protection of Birds (CZIP), Montenegro
Hellenic Ornithological Society
ILIRIA – Protection and Social & Environmental Development Association, Albania
Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania
Institute for Environmental Policy, Albania
Kosovo Ecologists Society
Ornithological Society “Naše ptice”, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania
Resource Environmental Centre, Albania
Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), Greece
Society of Independent Intellectuals Deçan, Kosovo
Sustainability Leadership Kosovo
Vulture Conservation Foundation, Switzerland
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Adria)
Youth Ecological and Security Zone- EcoZ, Kosovo
