The worldwide famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio showed again his support for the Vjosa River in Albania, asking the Albanian government to not allow the construction of dams in “one of Europe’s last wild rivers” as he has previously called the river. “The Vjosa River, its species, and the livelihoods that depend on them are under constant threat of destruction from dams […] sign the petition to ask the Albanian government to support Vjosa National Park,” wrote DiCaprio on hist Twitter account.
The message to protect Vjosa was also delivered through his Instagram profile, where he went even further, by describing the unique characteristics of the river. “Albania’s Vjosa River is the largest wild river in Europe. From the mountains of Greece to the Adriatic Sea in Albania, it spans 300 kilometers, completely free of artificial barriers, like hydropower dams. The rivers and streams that are tributaries of the Vjosa are home to more than 1,100 wildlife species, many of which are threatened,” wrote DiCaprio to his 47.9 million followers, adding that “Vjosa is the crown of the #BlueHeartofEurope and people across Albania want to protect it forever.” According to DiCaprio, by creating Vjosa National Park Albania would have the very first wild river park in Europe.
Back in September 2020, DiCaprio commented on the decision of the government to suspend the Kalivaç dam project by writing that “There is very promising news coming from Albania. Vjosa, one of Europe’s last big wild rivers might be saved from hydropower development. On September 25th, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the Kalivaç dam project was rejected and that the area will become a national park. The Vjosa Wild River National Park would become Europe’s largest river conservation site.”
Meanwhile here’s the video created by Patagonia to help the protection of Vjosa:
