TEPELENE, Albania: A strong wind blows scraps of plastic from an open landfill into the Vjosa River in Albania.
A few hundred meters upstream, a large pipe discharges sewage into the fast-flowing water. Elsewhere, diggers scrape gravel from the riverbed to make concrete, which experts say alters the river’s path and destabilizes its banks.
Last month, UNESCO labelled the Vjosa valley in Albania as one of 26 newly-designated Biosphere Reserves, part of an initiative to “safeguard some of the planet’s richest and most fragile ecosystems,” it said in a statement.
In many places the valley, which follows the river’s course from northern Greece to Albania’s Adriatic coast, appears to meet the criteria of an environmentally rich area. It is home to otters, threatened Egyptian vultures and rare plant species.
The river, one of the last uninterrupted waterways in Europe, meanders through tree-lined gorges and lush empty valleys. In 2023, the government declared it a national park.
The designation is a boon for Albania, a Balkan country of 2.4 million people that has seen tourism to its coastline and mountains skyrocket in recent years and is seeking to join the European Union by the end of the decade.
But beneath the sweeping scenery, environmentalists are worried for the future.
“International recognition papers like UNESCO do not solve problems,” said Besjana Guri from the non-governmental environmental organization Lumi (River) during one of her visits to the valley last week.
UNESCO said when issues arise, its experts will initiate consultations with the country’s government to verify them.
“The inclusion of a site in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves does not signify that all challenges have been resolved, but rather that the concerned country has committed to addressing them,” UNESCO said in a statement sent to Reuters.
In previous reports, UNESCO said it would follow rigorous criteria before granting Vjosa biosphere reserve status.
Albania’s Environment Minister, Sofjan Jaupaj, who keeps a framed copy of the UNESCO designation in his office, acknowledged the problems during an interview with Reuters. He said his ministry plans to spend more than 150 million euros to treat sewage water and close all landfills.
For many, the damage is already done. Oil wells and bitumen pits line the river, further risking pollution, they say.
Agron Zia, 55, took sheep and goats out to graze on the river bank last week. He motioned toward the landfill where plastic is kicked up by the wind and caught by the branches of nearby trees.
“When I was young, we used to swim here all summer. It hurts when your children cannot go because of sewage and rubbish,” he said.