It will be conserved as a living, free-flowing river, to the benefit of people and nature.

Albania's Vjosa river has just been declared Europe's first wild river National Park.

It is one of the last free-flowing wild rivers left on the continent. Flowing from the Pindus mountain range in Greece to the Adriatic Sea in Albania, the Vjosa spans 300 kilometres full of unspoiled wilderness and is completely free of artificial barriers like hydropower dams.

These rivers and streams are home to more than 1,100 wildlife species, including 13 animals and two plants assessed as globally threatened by the IUCN.