Fynn D’Ortona




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delta

The Vjosa, the last wild river in Europe, flows into the Mediterranean Sea in southern Albania. In March 2023, the river was declared a national park with the goal to protect its extraordinary biodiversity in the long term. At the same time, Albania‘s government under Prime Minister Edi Rama is pursuing a pro-European course aiming to expand the tourism industry in order to offer the population better economic prospects.

The ‘Vlora International Airport’ is currently being built in the Vjosa Delta and is expected to bring over 600,000 passengers a year to the planned hotel complexes. One of the investors is Jared
Kushner and his company Affinity Partners. He is planning to invest into an 1,100-hectare luxury resort with 6,000 hotel rooms on the Narta lagoon and further buildings on the island of Sazan. Environmental organisations such as EcoAlbania, PPNEA and EuroNatur warn of the consequences for the unique ecosystem. Supported by researchers from Tirana and Vienna, they are campaigning against the construction projects.

This work explores life in the delta and the intersections between environmental protection, economic investments and local perspectives.