MedINA, continuing its intensive efforts in the Aoos river basin, is delighted to announce the launch of the new project Ri-Connect II, the natural continuation of Ri-Connect implemented between 2023 and 2025, which aims to contribute to the preservation of the river’s and its tributaries’ free flow – as a transboundary ecological corridor and a vital resource for local community development.
Within the Pindos-Prespes Connectivity Conservation Area runs one of the last wild rivers in Europe, the Aoos/Vjosa, shared between Greece and Albania. Safeguarding the river’s free flow is of vital importance for both nature and people.
Funded by the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT), Ri-Connect II project has five specific objectives, more specifically by the end of the project it is expected that:
- Aoos river basin community is engaged in river protection and forms a network of River Guardians.
- Threats and pressures to the Aoos and its tributaries are averted and mitigated.
- The conservation status of key fish species is enhanced.
- Transboundary collaboration and awareness on the Aoos/Vjosa basin are facilitated and raised.
- Aoos/Vjosa river is recognised as a flagship for river integrity regionally, nationally and internationally.
Ri-Connect II will further deepen the work initiated under Ri-Connect by averting and mitigating the threats and pressures on the Aoos river and its tributaries. It will also strengthen actions of protecting local ichthyofauna, with particular focus on the West Balkan Trout (Salmo farioides), working closely with ichthyologists and other experts to improve knowledge and conservation efforts. At the same time, the project will broaden its footprint in the Municipality of Zagori through targetededucational and community-engagement activities, while preserving its strong presence in Konitsa.
By continuing to invest in local communities, it aims to cultivate a more active and collaborative network of river guardians. Last but not least, Ri-Connect II will strengthen cross-border collaboration and enhance the protection of the Aoos/Vjosa through coordinated community-engagement initiatives, educational activities in both Greece and Albania, closer cooperation with local stakeholders and increased international visibility-ultimately safeguarding this vital ecological corridor.
Running until September 2028, the three-year project aspires to ensure that the Aoos River and its tributaries remain “free,” wild, and untamed for generations to come.