The Vjosa near the Greek-Albanian border. This upper section of the river was declared a "protected landscape" by the Albanian government, a designation which falls short of the fully protected National Park status sought by activists, and which leaves the lower, more biodiverse section of the river vulnerable to development of hydropower dams.
A car returning from farmland near the village of Kuta in southern Albania. Located between the sites for two proposed hydropower dams, most of the agricultural land below would be flooded by a reservoir if the projects moved forward.
Ylli and her family raise sheep and grow crops on their land below the village of Kuta. The proposed construction of nearby dams would have created a large reservoir, flooding most of the fertile land in the surrounding areas. A lawsuit filed by local people, with the help of NGOs, stopped construction of the dams for the time being.
Gabriel Singer from the University of Innsbruck Fluvial Ecosystem Ecology Lab, filters water from the Shushica river for chemical analysis. An international group of scientists has been studying the Vjosa and its tributaries for several years, compiling their findings about the biodiversity and functions of the river into several reports, and advocating for more stringent protection measures.
A 16th Century Venetian bridge on the Shushica river near the village of Brataj, Albania. Locals regularly cross this bridge with their herds of animals, taking them to graze in surrounding pastures. The river provides an important water source for the communities, who rely on it for agricultural production.
A villager in Kalivaç, near the construction site of a large scale dam. Many people in Kalivaç favoured the dam, believing its construction would bring jobs and infrastructure improvements to their area. Once completed however, dams require only a small workforce for their operation.
A shepherd on his way towards Përmet, a town on the upper stretch of the Vjosa river.
