Albania Is Bulldozing a Protected Sanctuary. Demand the EU and Bern Convention Act Now.

Right now, in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape on Albania’s Adriatic coast, bulldozers and excavators are clearing coastal forests, flattening ancient dunes, and cutting access roads through one of Europe’s most ecologically irreplaceable wild places — with no transparency, no environmental impact assessment, and no public consultation.

This is not a remote loss. The Vjosa-Narta wetland is part of the last remaining intact delta system in the Mediterranean . It is a critical Adriatic Flyway stopover for more than 200 bird species and over 70 endangered species, including the Loggerhead turtle, the Mediterranean Monk seal, and the Albanian Water frog . Once these dunes and forests are gone, they cannot be rebuilt.

What is happening on the ground is also a documented breach of law. The Albanian government bypassed compulsory procedures, including obtaining a valid construction permit — which was only granted 15 months after construction had already begun — and then removed the contested site from the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, carving a spatial gap into the middle of the protected area. For the third year in a row, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention has called on Albania to suspend the works pending a sufficient Environmental Impact Assessment — and for the third year in a row, that call has been ignored. The European Parliament and the European Commission have also raised serious concerns.

We, the undersigned, demand that:

• The Albanian government immediately halt all construction and clearing activity inside the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape.
• A transparent, independent Environmental Impact Assessment be completed and made public before any further work proceeds.
• The original boundaries of the protected area be restored and the law amendments enabling its downgrade be repealed.
• The European Union make compliance with the Bern Convention and national conservation law a non-negotiable condition of Albania’s EU accession process.

Albania’s natural heritage is Europe’s natural heritage. A protected area that can be bulldozed without consequence is not protected at all. Sign to demand it stops — now, before the dunes, the forests, and the species that depend on them are lost for good.