Kuçedra

The Vjosa is Europe’s last undammed river, running untamed for 270km from northern Greece through Albania to the Adriatic Sea. It is a key source of life for numerous endangered plant and animal species, many of which have disappeared from the rest of Europe. The river also holds important economic and cultural value for the rural communities along its banks, which have been declining due to poor infrastructure and lack of development. Today, the Vjosa and its tributaries are under threat from hydropower dam projects, which would permanently alter the flow of the river, harming life within it and displacing thousands who live along its banks. These dams are part of a hydropower boom in the Balkans, with international banks eager to invest in renewable energy, while providing little oversight over the social and environmental costs for their implementation. This project traces the Vjosa through Albania, portraying the threatened landscapes and the people both touched by its waters and bound to the uncertain fate of its flow.