Save The Blue Heart Of Europe: news about the campaign of Patagonia

In 2018, Patagonia launched a global campaign to protect Europe’s last untouched rivers from a “tsunami of dams” of 3,000 planned projects. The project included the Blue Heart documentary, a dedicated website and a petition.

With the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign, Patagonia has joined a community of activist groups across Europe who have been fighting this dam explosion for years, including EuroNatur, RiverWatch, EcoAlbania and supported by Client Earth.

One of the main themes of the documentary was the Vjosa River in Albania, the European equivalent of the Amazon rainforest in terms of ecological value and uniqueness. The wild and winding Vjosa is one of the last wild and living rivers in Europe. It is characterised by beautiful canyons, intertwined river stretches, islands and branches, while in some areas the riverbed expands over two kilometres wide. Almost all the tributaries of the Vjosa are intact and free to flow, forming an incredible network of living rivers.

This month, it seems likely that a series of important announcements will protect the future of the Vjosa River. Albanian President Ilir Meta and Prime Minister Edi Rama have given their public support to its protection. In separate statements, both leaders announced that they support the creation of a Vjosa National Park, which will guarantee its future as a wild river and safeguard it from hydroelectric power projects. It was also announced that the Minister of Environment in Albania has refused the construction of the Kalivaç dam, which would destroy this unique river system forever.

The work of the activists is obviously far from over: this is an opportunity to permanently protect the Vjosa river. While the risks remain, groups around the world are mobilizing to support the creation of a National Park and turn these positive statements into definitive action. If the Vjosa National Park is established, it will be the largest river protection site in Europe and a victory, not only for Albania, but for the whole of Europe.