PUBLIC STATEMENT: Buna River – Velipojë: A Protected Area of International Importance, NO to Its Concrete Overdevelopment

PUBLIC STATEMENT

Buna River – Velipojë: A Protected Area of International Importance, NO to Its Concrete Overdevelopment

The Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) expresses its clear opposition to the “Blue Borgo” tourism project planned in Baks–Rrjoll, within the Buna–Velipoja Protected Landscape.

This is not an ordinary development area. The Buna River – Velipoja is a legally protected area and, at the same time, a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site), representing the largest Ramsar site in Albania. This wetland complex is among the richest and most significant in the Adriatic region for biodiversity and for maintaining the ecological integrity of coastal ecosystems.

The area provides habitat for hundreds of migratory bird species, including globally threatened species, as well as intact coastal dunes, lagoons, rare habitats, and vital ecological corridors for fish and wild mammals. Every year, wintering birds find refuge in this unique ecosystem, making it a natural treasure of national and European importance.

Large-scale interventions, concrete-based development, and land-use changes within a Protected and Ramsar Site pose a real and immediate risk of irreversible damage to biodiversity, to the vital ecosystem services provided by the wetland, and to the wellbeing of local communities.

Sustainable development cannot be achieved by weakening the protection status of an area with such exceptional natural values. Its protection is a legal, national, and international obligation.

PPNEA stands in defense of this ecosystem, a shared natural heritage that cannot be replaced, and a public good that must remain with local communities for stewardship and sustainable development.