The "Wild River Vjosa" national park (Parku Kombëtar i Lumit të Egër Vjosa) extends over 127 ^km2 and 190 km along the Vjosa between the municipality of Përmet and the district of Vlora. The announcement of its creation, in 2023, was a relief for environmental activists who had been fighting since 2013 for the preservation of Europe's last wild river (outside Russia). The Vjosa, or Aoos in Greek, rises in Greece, in the Pindus massif, and stretches for 272 km, mainly in Albania, to flow into the Adriatic, north of Vlora. The scenery is magnificent, especially along the route between Përmet and Tepelena: the Këlcyra gorge, superb meanders, footbridges used by shepherds on horseback... For the moment, only two-thirds of the route is protected. But it's already a victory. The Albanian government had launched a project to build 45 dams on the Vjosa and its tributaries. The river was also threatened by the discovery under its bed of the largest oil reserve in the Balkans. Although environmental activists have little voice in Albania, they have benefited from the support of local populations and the backing of scientists and international figures. In 2021, for example, an Instagram post by American actor Leonardo DiCaprio was decisive in the government's decision to preserve the river.

Extension projects. But there are still other battles to be fought. The authorities have also launched the Vlora international airport project, which is set to destroy the Narta lagoon at the mouth of the Vjosa. For the time being, 47% of the national park is water (the river and its tributaries). It is home to some 1,175 animal and plant species, including endangered fish that swim upstream to spawn. The river's banks are home to the last 15 Balkan lynxes in Albania (out of a total population of around 50, mainly in northern Macedonia). Although no information structure exists, the national park already attracts many tourists. This parameter was also a factor in the park's creation. Moreover, there are no access restrictions for visitors. There are plans to extend the national park into neighbouring mountain areas, as far as the Narta lagoon (unlikely if Vlora airport is built) and a junction with the Greek national park of Vikos-Aoos, where the Vjosa rises.