News

A coalition of NGOs headed by the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS), Respublica and PSEDA Iliria – and supported by other national and international NGOs – was successful in stopping a large and unsustainable tourism development project in Albania. The project, known as “Divjakë Resort Albania,” would have built a tourism resort at the core area of Divjaka-Karavasta National Park, aiming to exploit 12 kilometers of coastline and bring up to 18,000 visitors per day.

The campaign supported by the CEPF-funded project “Let’s Make Divjaka Natural Again” with AOS was able to convince the governmental structures to refuse the resort proposal based on biodiversity concerns. Nonetheless, the fight of the coalition continues as other development projects threaten Divjaka-Karavasta and other coastal, protected areas.

The Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands, driven by the Tour du Valat, and now an active member of MAVA’s Outcome Action Plan on the protection and sustainable development of Coastal Wetland areas, contributed greatly to reaching this excellent outcome.