For over two months, thousands of people in Albania have been protesting against a tourist development project in the Narta lagoon. We spoke about it with Besjana Guri.
For more than two months in Albania, thousands of people have been taking to the streets to protest against a tourist development project planned in the Narta lagoon, a protected area on the Adriatic coast. The mobilisation began at the end of May, following the installation of a fence in the Zvërnec area. As the weeks passed, calls for the protection of the lagoon were joined by broader demands regarding the country's development model and the relationship between citizens and institutions.
At the heart of the protest lies an ecosystem of dunes, wetlands and lagoons connected to the Vjosa delta, Albania's great wild river. The area is home to more than 200 bird species, including flamingos, and is one of the most important ecological corridors in the Mediterranean for migratory birds.
To understand how and why the protests began, we spoke with Besjana Guri. Committed to the conservation of Albania's great river for over thirteen years, first with EcoAlbania and today with the association LUMI, in 2025 she received the Goldman Environmental Prize alongside Olsi Nika for the role she played in the campaign that led to the establishment of the Vjosa Wild River National Park. LifeGate documented these places through the audio documentary Vjosa. L'ultimo fiume selvaggio d'Europa, produced in partnership with CESVI.
In this interview, Besjana Guri retraces the origins of the protest, explains why the Vjosa delta represents the natural completion of the National Park, what the protesters are currently demanding, and what we can expect in the future.
It started at the beginning of May. The first trigger was the fencing off of the area earmarked for the project. It came as a surprise, because we had no idea it was going to happen, nor that a fence would be erected there. We had already heard about the project and had been raising our concerns for more than two years, because initially the company had publicly announced its intention to build a tourist resort on the island of Sazan. Then the prime minister published some content on social media to promote this development. Shortly afterwards we saw the project renderings and realised it wasn't just about Sazan, but also about Zvërnec beach, which lies opposite the island, in the Vjosa delta area.
Looking back, we understood why. The island of Sazan is uninhabited, has no fresh water and a very small beach. If you genuinely want to build a resort of that size, you need far more space. That is why Zvërnec beach was also identified: around seven kilometres of coastline and approximately 600 hectares of surface area. Even though we had long been raising our concerns, we were never involved in any consultation meetings, discussions or official briefings. Everything changed when we saw the fence go up. It was installed at the end of April and, within a week, we organised a first protest together with several environmental organisations. Among them was Pinea, which has been working in the area for many years, and Aos, specialising in bird protection. I also took part through Lumi, since this naturally falls within our remit. Everyone was deeply worried: those who knew the project had already grasped the risks. The first demonstration took place in front of the fence. We were calling for it to be removed, for greater transparency and more information about the project. We tried to raise awareness of the issue, but the Albanian media were not covering it.
The main issue concerns the protected areas law, which was amended in 2024. Albanian environmental organisations had opposed that reform, going so far as to file an appeal with the Constitutional Court, which however did not succeed. We had predicted what the consequences might be if that law came into force, and what is happening today is, in our view, proof of that. The amendments introduced make this type of intervention easier and, in practice, allow it even within protected areas. If all the required procedures are followed, they can be authorised. The new law in fact permits the construction of tourist resorts and the infrastructure associated with five-star hotels even inside national parks. The previous legislation, by contrast, did not allow this kind of development in protected areas.
Another change we consider risky concerns the elimination of zoning. Normally, protected areas are divided into zones with different levels of protection, so as to ensure their proper management. Depending on the zone, the permitted activities are established accordingly. By removing this distinction from the law, it becomes possible to intervene in protected areas in the same way everywhere, or through a special decision by the National Territory Council. In the case of this project — the one planned by Kushner — from what we know it is set to be built in the central area of the protected zone, which under the previous zoning system carried the highest level of protection. These are our main concerns regarding the law.
For us the delta has always been a priority. From the very beginning we had called for it to be included in the National Park, but the authorities did not do so. Today we can see what the reasons behind that choice may have been. It is not only the project planned at Zvërnec: there are other tourist development projects as well. They are described as tourist resorts, but in reality they amount to urban development. We are not talking only about hotels, but also about residential buildings and structures up to ten storeys high. Projects of this kind are planned in various parts of the Vjosa delta. That is why we say that, if we once won the battle for the National Park, today we must win another: the one for the delta. Our ultimate goal would be to include the delta within the National Park as well. For us, the river and the delta are not two separate realities. They form a single ecosystem. From an ecological standpoint they have the same value and deserve the same level of protection.
At the time it was the most straightforward solution to implement, because the territory involved is very extensive and there are towns and villages along the Vjosa's course. It would have been far more complex to establish an even larger protected area from the outset. From the beginning, however, we had discussed with the minister the idea of proceeding in two phases. First, declaring the river and its active channel a national park (already proposing at that stage to include the delta as well), and subsequently expanding the park to encompass other tributaries following further assessments. Pressures on the river can also come from outside, because impacts on water quality depend on what happens in the surrounding areas as well.
My experience in the Vjosa valley runs deep. For over thirteen years I have been involved in the campaign to protect the Vjosa, the Blue Heart Campaign. In the past I was among the founders of EcoAlbania and worked there until last year. Today I have founded a new organisation called LUMI, which in our language means "river". The goal is to focus more broadly on the protection of rivers — not only the Vjosa — and to involve more and more women and young people in nature conservation. It is a small organisation. At the moment I am carrying most of the work forward myself, drawing on the experience and network of contacts built over these years.
Last year I received the Goldman Environmental Prize. It was a tremendous encouragement and gave me the motivation to found this new organisation. I realised that, without having planned it, I had become a point of reference for many women and for many young activists. I felt it was the right moment to keep inspiring others and to continue in this direction. With LUMI we naturally continue to work on the Vjosa. For me the Vjosa has become a life's mission. It has never simply been a project. We fought hard against the construction of hydroelectric plants. We managed to stop 45 projects along the entire valley and to secure the establishment of the first national park dedicated to a wild river in Europe. It was an enormous achievement, but our work is not finished, because several issues remain open, starting with the delta.
Since the national park was established, tourism promotion of the area has increased enormously and many more visitors now arrive. Local communities are also keen to develop tourist activities and to build hotels around the park. Tourism has become a priority for the government. In the past the conversation centred mainly on energy production; today everything revolves around tourism. The problem is that when you focus on a single objective you risk neglecting everything else. That, in my view, is what is happening in Albania today. The country is being pushed to become an ever more prominent tourist destination, while other issues — agriculture, education, and many other problems — are being pushed to the sidelines. I believe this is also part of why so many people are taking to the streets today. The protest springs from many grievances that have accumulated over time. At a certain point the glass fills up and overflows.
The first demonstration in Tirana took place on 31 May. I have been there from day one and I continue to take part every day. It was astonishing to see how quickly it grew. Today the protest has become something more than just the protection of the Vjosa-Narta area. It is about Albanian nature as a whole and, increasingly, it has also transformed into a demand for political change. Many people no longer trust that the government can do what is best for the country.
I still remember that first day in Tirana. I was taken aback to see so many people at a spontaneous, grassroots demonstration. It was a genuine civic reaction. I addressed the participants and said that what was happening was extraordinary and that if we kept it up we could win this fight. The main message was: "Albania is not for sale."
The number of participants doubled every day. More and more young people and students joined in. I had the sense that people were rediscovering hope. In Albania, after many protests that ended without results, many had lost faith in the possibility of changing things. After so long marked by apathy and distrust in the institutions' willingness to listen to citizens, something was changing.
The Albanian diaspora also began to mobilise. Albanians living abroad heard what was happening and organised themselves. It gave a major boost to the protest and provided an important source of motivation.
So far, apart from the removal of the fence, we have seen no signal from the government suggesting any step back on the project. The prime minister is the person who communicates most about both the project and the protests, and he keeps repeating that the resort will be built. He now claims he will listen to environmentalists' demands and will ensure that flamingos and the environment are not harmed. We do not believe, however, that these two things can coexist.
The European Parliament passed a resolution that has represented very important support for us. The text calls first of all for the law on protected areas to be amended. It also calls for the project to be suspended and for no new permits to be issued. Finally, it proposes a moratorium on the construction of tourist resorts in protected areas. We know that this resolution is not legally binding on the Albanian government, but it could have consequences for Albania's EU accession process. Chapter 27, dedicated to the environment, is already open and the legislation on protected areas is among the elements being assessed. If the government does not amend the law and does not introduce a moratorium on this type of development in protected areas, the closure of that chapter could be delayed, with repercussions for the accession process. For us this represents an important form of pressure. We hope that other countries will also speak out in the same direction.
What we are seeing in Albania today is, more than tourism, real-estate development. You cannot claim to be developing tourism if you are building two hotels and a hundred dwellings. At that point it is no longer tourism. It is like occupying a place: people come from outside, build whatever they like, and then leave. Moreover, many of the homes being built are not intended for Albanians. The prices are too high and the buyers come mainly from abroad. In the end, no one is thinking about the people who actually live here.
This is why our demand is very clear: we are asking for the project to be cancelled, above all because it concerns a protected area. We are not opposed to development. We are not entering into the debate about who the foreign investors are or other aspects of that kind. What matters to us is that the laws are respected, that protected areas are safeguarded, and that investments of this kind are planned transparently. Personally, I do not believe the government intends to back down or change its position. But we will carry on. We will continue to fight this battle.