Illegal construction of a Kushner-backed luxury resort, violent repression of protesters, and deepening ecological damage at one of Europe’s most important coastal habitats
Heavy machinery has been tearing through one of Europe’s most ecologically important coastal habitats [1] since late April, without permits, without an environmental impact assessment, and with the Albanian government providing false explanations to parliament.
The destruction is taking place at the Pishë Poro–Narta Protected Area, within the Vjosa–Narte Protected Landscape, part of the delta of the Vjosa, one of Europe’s last wild rivers. A luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been planned for the same area [2]. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed that the construction is directly connected [3].
The area shelters over 70 endangered species and more than 200 bird species, including Flamingos and Dalmatian Pelicans. It sits on the Adriatic Flyway, a critical migration corridor for millions of birds traveling between Africa and Europe each year. The surrounding waters are among the last Mediterranean refuges for the Mediterranean Monk Seal, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, and a key nesting ground for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. BirdLife’s Albanian Partner PPNEA has called the scale of destruction unprecedented – the worst ever recorded in Albania’s protected areas.
The ecological damage is severe and, in some cases, already irreversible. Gravel has been dumped onto ancient sand dunes designated as Natural Monuments under Albanian law, damage scientists say will take hundreds of years to repair. Construction has also blocked one of the two openings connecting the Narta Lagoon to the sea, cutting off tidal exchange with immediate, cascading consequences for fish, birds, and the entire food chain. Every day the blockage continues, the damage deepens.
When questioned in parliament, the government claimed the opening had been closed to build a road for “environmental surveying.” This is not supported by what is being observed on the ground.
Citizens attempting to protest peacefully have been met with violence, and barbed wire now physically blocks public access to the coastline. Thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana. The protests follow the Albanian government’s amendment of the Law on Protected Areas in February 2024, which opened the door to luxury resort construction in zones that had previously been strictly protected.
Anouk Puymartin, Head of Policy, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia:
Barbed wire cannot silence people. Thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to defend Vjosa-Narta from destruction driven by private profit. A protected landscape of global importance is under attack, and people are demanding an end to the devastation. Nature belongs to everyone, not a handful of investors. The horrendous situation in Vjosa–Narte shows why laws are crucial to protect both people and nature. But those protections mean little if governments fail to uphold them.
Aleksandr Trajçe, Director, PPNEA:
“By the time the law on protected areas is brought back in line with EU standards, we fear that very little will remain to be protected. What is happening here is unprecedented. We have never seen anything like this in Albania’s protected areas.”
BirdLife Europe and Central Asia is calling on Albanian institutions to:
- Immediately halt all works within the Pishë Poro–Narta Protected Area
- Restore the damaged areas
- Secure the ecological integrity of the candidate Emerald site
- Launch a full legal investigation into what has already taken place
- Guarantee the right of citizens to protest peacefully
