News

Save the Date: Balkan Rivers Conference in September 2015

We are happy to inform you about the Balkan Rivers Conference in September 2015 – the first event of this kind in Europe! Please mark the dates in your calendar! Organized within the context of the Save the Blue Heart of Europe Campaign, it shall be a first get-together of river NGOs, initiatives, anti-dam movements, fishermen and other river lovers from all over the Balkans and elsewhere.

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The Vjosa River at a Crossroad – Dam Tsunami or National Park?

NGOs uncover: 33 hydropower plants projected ++ Austrian and Italian companies involved ++ New initiative supports national park idea. Today, the international NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur, together with their local partner EcoAlbania, are presenting a paper, which for the first time reveals the full extent of the threat to the Vjosa catchment area.

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Tirana Times: Protecting Vjosa, Europe’s last wild river

The Tirana Times published an interview with Ulrich Eichelmann about the Vjosa River, its threats, the alternative idea of a Vjosa National Park and the Blue Heart of Europe campaign. Read the interview here: Protecting Vjosa, Europe’s last wild river

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NEWS: Is the EBRD pulling out of Mavrovo NP?

Today, the Guardian published a detailed report about the situation of the Balkan Rivers. In it, the newspaper reports that the EBRD is likely to pull out of hydro project in the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia, one of our key areas in the campaign. Read the full article which was published in the Guardian today, Feb 20: Balkan dam boom threatens Europe’s last wild waterways

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Vjosa in Albania: Municipalities of Përmet and Çarshovë want National Park instead of dams

150 people discuss the future of the river - parliamentarians will be informed. On Wednesday and Thursday the first public discussions about the future of the Vjosa Valley took place in Çarshovë and Përmet in southern Albania. While  the government envisages the construction of eight dams along the river, the mayors and people of the affected communities support the alternative idea of establishing a national park.

Case against Macedonia

European Convention on Nature Conservation investigates hydropower projects in Mavorovo National Park. The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention is initiating proceedings against Macedonia due to the projected construction of hydropower plants in the Mavrovo National Park. A group of experts appointed by the Standing Committee will investigate whether the projects violate the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

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NGO Protest: Sava River at Risk

Zagreb, Vienna, Radolfzell, December 1, 2014 In an open letter, fifteen environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) protest against the intention of the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) to adopt a management plan for the Sava River basin. This management plan is based on misleading and false data; it is violating EU legislation and risking the future of the Sava – one of the most valuable river ecosystems in Europe.

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Double Award for Balkan Rivers

Big honour for the Balkan Rivers: On Friday night, the campaign “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” received two awards in Vaduz. Next to grand prize winner Ulrich Eichelmann, EuroNatur president Christel Schroeder was also awarded with a Binding Prize.

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Ulrich Eichelmann receives international environmental award

Last night, Riverwatch CEO Ulrich Eichelmann and coordinator of the Blue Heart of Europe campaign was awarded one of the most significant environmental awards of Europe, the “Great Binding Prize for Nature Conservation”, in Vaduz/Liechtenstein. He received this honor for his international commitment to the protection of rivers.

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“The last refugium of the Balkan Lynx“ in the Neue Zürcher Newspaper

In his article “The last refugium of the Balkan Lynx”, the Swiss journalist Andreas Ernst reports about the critical situation on site, the chicanery of the authorities, as well as the commitment of dam opponents...

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