Science Week on the Sarandaporos River: Preserving Europe’s Last Free-Flowing River through Collaborative Research and Conservation Efforts

A Science Week on the Sarandaporos River is set to begin this Friday, June 28, with the aim of protecting and preserving Europe’s last large free-flowing river. The Aoos/Vjosa river flows through northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania, with the first 80 kilometers in Greece and the remaining 192 kilometers in Albania. It remains untouched by human interference, making it the only wild river in Europe. In March 2023, it was designated as Europe’s first wild river national park.

The week-long science event will take place on the Sarandaporos river, which is one of Aoos’ main tributaries and an understudied part of Greece’s ecology. The organizer, Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA), aims to convey the message “Aoos without barriers: We join forces for the first Cross-Border Free River Park in Europe, Aoos/Vjosa.” MedINA has partnered with Euronatur, RiverWatch and Eco Albania for this event.

The main goal of the event is to study and understand the biodiversity of the rivers in order to better protect them. European volunteer scientists from seven countries, five research centers, and 17 universities will collaborate to collect data on the ecosystem. This event supports the idea of a Transboundary Wild River Park in Europe, along the Greek-Albanian border, to safeguard the entire Aoos area including its streams and tributaries like Sarandaporos.

In 2023,