‘Historic moment’ for nature as Europe’s first wild river national park announced in Albania

The Vjosa River near Qesarat, southern Albania. The river and its three main tributaries in the country have been declared a national park. Photograph: Nick St Oegger/The Guardian

One of the last wild rivers in Europe, home to more than 1,000 animal and plant species, has been declared a national park by the Albanian government, making the Vjosa the first of its kind on the continent.

The Vjosa River flows 168 miles (270kms) from the Pindus mountains in Greece through narrow canyons, plains and forests in Albania to the Adriatic coast. Free from dams or other artificial barriers, it is rich in aquatic species and supports myriad wildlife, including otters, the endangered Egyptian vulture and the critically endangered Balkan lynx, of which only 15 are estimated to remain in Albania.