Rivers throughout Europe have been impacted by water development projects, including dams, along their route. These developments restricted species of the river, needing the free flowing river to travel between significant sites to their lifespan. It also hurt communities with livelihoods reliant on the river.

Vjosa River is one of the last remaining river systems in Europe that has been left free flowing. Seeing the threat to this habitat with environmental and cultural significance, local communities came together seeking to designate the river as a National Park.

In March 2023, with the help of the Albanian government, Patagonia, and IUCN, amongst other partners, the Vjosa Wild River National Park was designated, making it the first wild river national park. Creation of this park was made possible through an IUCN-US grant from Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective and the Marine Community Foundation.

Currently, this project is in its Phase II. In this Phase, stakeholders are working to establish management structures, funding mechanisms, and develop an Integrated Management Plan for the Park so that it can be operational. The Phase will include support for local community development through sustainable tourism and extension of the boundaries to protect rivers feeding into the Vjosa system. The aim is to create a transboundary Wild River National Park.

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This grant would not be possible without the support of the Marin Community Foundation.