Konispol, Albania – March 14, 2025. Despite being recently recognized by the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands as a priority site under the Green Light initiative, Albania’s Vrina plain, adjacent to Butrint National Park, is now under immediate threat from large-scale resort development. The area’s critical role as a biodiversity hotspot and cultural heritage site risks being irreversibly compromised.
In late 2024, Albania’s Council of Ministers authorized the Albanian Investment Corporation to open public lands in Vrina, Konispol Municipality, for tourism infrastructure. These plans target one of the last remaining wetland mosaics on Albania’s southern coast — an ecologically rich zone along the Ionian Sea, home to Ramsar-designated wetlands, migratory bird corridors, and the historic Castle of Ali Pasha.
This decision, taken without a completed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), contravenes multiple international commitments, including the Bern Convention, the Ramsar Convention, and the legally binding Integrated Management Plan for Butrint National Park (2020–2030).
“Vrina represents a living landscape — a convergence of natural and cultural value,” said Besjana Shehu, Nature Restoration Expert at the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS). “Turning it into another mass tourism complex would devastate this fragile ecosystem and send a deeply damaging signal about Albania’s environmental priorities.”
A Site of Regional Importance
In 2024, Vrina was chosen as the third Green Light site by the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands — a distinction reserved for wetlands under imminent threat but with high potential for ecological restoration and sustainable use. The Vrina marshes, hydrologically connected to the Butrint Lagoon system, provide vital habitats for threatened species such as the European Otter, Glossy Ibis, Ferruginous Duck, and numerous amphibians and waders.
“The future of Vrina can either follow the path of degradation, as so many coastal zones have,” emphasized the MEDWet Alliance, “or serve as a model of ecological stewardship in the Mediterranean region.”
A Breach of Commitments
Allowing resort construction in Vrina undermines Albania’s own conservation objectives, including biodiversity protection, climate resilience, and responsible tourism development. Crucially, the Management Plan for Butrint National Park mandates that all developments in the buffer zone meet strict environmental and participatory standards — standards that remain unmet in Vrina’s case.
“This is not just a local issue,” added Shehu. “It is a test of Albania’s readiness to align with the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy, and the obligations that come with potential EU accession.”
An Urgent Call for Action
As part of the Green Light effort, AOS joins local communities, scientists, and international conservation partners in urging Albanian authorities to:
- Immediately suspend all development approvals in Vrina until full EIAs and HIAs are conducted; are
- Align all tourism planning with the Butrint National Park Management Plan;
- Prioritize ecological restoration and community-based ecotourism;
- Integrate Vrina into national wetland protection and monitoring frameworks.
A Turning Point for Albania’s Wetlands
Across the Mediterranean, wetlands are being sacrificed to short-term economic interests. But Albania has an opportunity to do things differently — to protect Vrina as a flagship site for nature-based tourism, environmental education, and wetland research.
“The knowledge, tools, and public support exist,” concluded Shehu. “What’s needed now is political courage to choose nature over concrete.”
Contact:
Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS)
aos@aos-alb.org