Dalmatian pelicans, loggerhead sea turtles, crystal-clear water… Albania’s Adriatic coast is one of the last unspoiled areas of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a pristine area that interests investors like Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and son-in-law of the former US president and Republican candidate for the next presidential election, Donald Trump. His investment project was revealed by the New York Times, then confirmed by Kushner on the social media platform X.
For $1 billion (€924 million), Kushner plans to create luxury hotels, villas and apartments in Serbia and Albania, with timeframes as yet unknown, through his investment company Affinity Partners.
Albania’s seafront, sometimes dubbed the “Maldives of Europe” by some tour operators, is the scene of a veritable tourism boom. In 2023, Albania recorded the fourth-highest increase in international tourist arrivals, up 56% from 2019, according to the World Tourism Organization.
‘Migration route’
The area targeted by the former White House advisor’s plans is the delta of the Vjosa River, in the south of the country, at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. This river is considered to be “the most intact large river delta in Europe,” pointed out Gilles Pinay, director of research at the CNRS. “The Vjosa is one of the continent’s last natural rivers.” Among Kushner’s plans is the construction of a luxury hotel complex by the Swiss brand Aman Resorts on the island of Sazan, nestled in the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park, recognized for its environmental importance and biodiversity since 2010.
Right next door, the theoretically protected Zvërnec peninsula is also coveted by Trump’s son-in-law. “It’s an integral part of the Vjosa ecosystem,” said Gabriel Schwaderer, director of the organization EuroNatur. The Narta Lagoon, in the heart of the delta, is a key breeding and feeding ground for southeastern Europe’s most emblematic waterbirds, including the Dalmatian pelican, as well as pink flamingos and spoonbills. The lagoon is one of the most important staging areas on the “Adriatic migration route” that many birds use to reach North Africa.
This April 14, 2015 photo shows a view of the small harbor on Sazan Island, 140 kilometers (85 miles) southwest of Albania’s capital Tirana. HEKTOR PUSTINA / AP
“As Europeans, is there anything we don’t want to destroy?” worried Ulrich Eichelmann, director of the organization Riverwatch. “We won’t stop until the very last natural areas are destroyed.” The ecologist, who has visited the site, described the turtles, sand dunes and pink flamingos that populate this area of the Mediterranean coast. “There has been very little human activity around this river. It’s an exceptional case,” Pinay explained.
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Source link : https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2024/06/17/in-albania-europe-s-last-natural-delta-threatened-by-donald-trump-s-son-in-law-s-plans_6674966_114.html
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Publish date : 2024-06-17 07:00:00
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