Work has just begun to include the Vjosa, the Queen of European wild rivers, in the list of world heritage sites protected by UNESCO, through the "Man and the Biosphere" program.
It was the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, who announced the news after a meeting with the UNESCO delegation in Tirana, which will follow the preparation of the application file.
"I was happy to welcome the UNESCO team to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, with whom we are starting the work on including Vjosa in the list of world heritage sites through the "Man and the Biosphere" program. This global program aims to create a scientific basis to improve the relationship between people and the nature where they live, for sustainable development that protects the environment. We are looking forward to intensive work in preparing the application file, which the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the National Agency for Protected Areas will submit to UNESCO within this year, to give another international passport to the queen of European rivers and to add another Albanian jewel to the UNESCO list", said Ms. Kumbaro.
The Vjosa River was declared a National Park in March 2023. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay visited Vjosa at the invitation of the Minister of Tourism and Environment, with the aim of including it in the list of sites protected by UNESCO, evaluating it as one of the last wild rivers in Europe and the first National Park of an intact river.
The preparation of the application is a long process according to the standards of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and Albania will be assisted by the "Man and Biosphere" program team.
