Mavrovo NP

During the recent annual meeting of the Standing Committee in Strasbourg, the Committee once again urged the Albanian authorities to suspend all preparations towards both hydropower projects until a strategic environmental impact assessment and social impact studies have been carried out.

In Mavrovo National Park, the construction permits for two small hydropower plants on the Zirovnicka River have been officially annulled, after the concession process for another project on the same river was cancelled in May. The decision was taken after a review request submitted by Front 21/42, our partner organization in North Macedonia, right after the investor announced the start of the construction.

Yesterday, the legal toolkit “Practice your environmental rights – legal tools and mechanisms” has been presented by the NGO Front 21/42. The toolkit provides guidance for national and international CSOs and activists on how to use their environmental rights with a special focus on the protection of rivers from destructive hydropower developments.

On May 14th 2019, the Government of Republic of North Macedonia decided to cancel the concession procedure for a low-performing hydropower project on the Zirovnicka river inside Mavrovo National Park, on the basis of a request for annulment, submitted by Blue Heart partner Front 21/42. The project was violating national and international law and undermined the protection status of the national park.

++ NGOs, government representatives, experts, hydropower developers and the local community discuss challenges and solutions at an international conference on nature protection and hydropower projects in North Macedonia ++ Yesterday, the first ever national approach for defining no-go zones for hydropower projects was presented at a conference in North Macedonia.

Zirovnicka river, one of the biggest tributaries of Radika river in the park, is at stake. Local communities in Zirovnica strongly opposes the two planned hydropower projects but the investor is determined to push through with it, even threatening those who oppose. To support the affected community, please sign the petition Green Zones for Blue Rivers in Macedonia.

The Macedonian Blue Heart campaign team (Front 21/42 and Eko-svest) launched a petition for the protection and against the destruction of the last free rivers in their country. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION. The petition is posted in the national language only – that shouldn’t keep you from signing. Find the English translation here:

Plans for 17 hydropower plants throughout Macedonia’s Mavrovo National Park must be immediately suspended, so the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention ruled at its annual meeting last week. The Standing Committee emphasizes its special concerns with regard to the still ongoing developments of small hydropower plants within the park.

After successfully preventing the construction of two big dam projects inside Mavrovo National Park – one of Europe’s oldest national parks – its rivers and creeks are still threatened by low performing hydro projects (“small hydro”). Low performing plants are being promoted under the disguise “small is beautiful”, but they are just as devastating to smaller creeks than big plants are to large rivers. There is nothing green about them, especially not within the boundaries of a national park.

++ New Hope for Balkan Rivers: EBRD withdraws from financing hydropower project in Mavrovo National Park, Macedonia ++ Success for campaign in Macedonia - this is the second decision against damming in the park, since the World Bank has refused to finance Lukovo Pole project last year. Read more...