00:00 A one-of-a-kind natural paradise in Europe, the delta of Albania's Vjosa River.
00:19 Bardi Troka's restaurant is in the middle of it.
00:23 To get there, patrons have to cross a swinging rope bridge.
00:26 Routine for Bardi, but something of an adventure for the guests.
00:31 The restaurant is perched on this little island.
00:37 Now the season is over.
00:38 It's the quietest time of the year.
00:45 Only a few neighbours drop by for a bite to eat and a chat.
00:48 The conversation keeps returning to one topic, the international airport and planning for
00:53 the area.
00:57 As I see it, it's the only opportunity in the off-season for us as a region.
01:02 We're a very poor region.
01:05 The airport could help us, and we see it as a very good prospect.
01:14 For ornithologist Erad Tseka, the airport is a disaster.
01:19 Part of it is meant to be built on a nature preserve.
01:22 Vjosa's lower reaches form one of the largest ecosystems on the Mediterranean.
01:27 They provide refuge for many bird species threatened with extinction elsewhere.
01:32 A paradise for bird watchers.
01:34 He's interested in one kind in particular.
01:37 I want flamingos.
01:40 A lot of flamingos.
01:47 Over 2,000 of them live here and present an impressive natural spectacle.
01:59 It is famous for birds and it's very important for them because it serves as a wintering
02:06 ground, feeding, breeding and also stopover along the Adriatic Flyway because it's in
02:12 the middle of the highway of migratory birds from northern Europe to southern Europe and
02:21 even trans-oceanic to Africa.
02:25 Barely five kilometres away is the vast airport construction site.
02:29 One runway is to extend over three kilometres.
02:33 It will be the country's second major airport after the one by Tirana, the capital.
02:38 The coast around the Vjosa delta is a favourite tourist destination in Albania.
02:42 The airport will make the area more accessible.
02:45 But environmentalists say that the construction began without the necessary permits, so they
02:49 have filed a complaint against it.
02:53 As you can see, the construction is going on and it's, for our perspective, it's totally
02:59 madness.
03:00 I mean, inside the protected area, you can't build such an airport.
03:09 The Vjosa remains one of the last truly wild rivers in Europe.
03:13 The government recently made a big show of declaring its upper reaches a national park.
03:20 Environmentalists aren't the only ones asking why the lower reaches should be ruined with
03:24 a huge airport.
03:34 In fact, the airport plans would violate EU environmental regulations.
03:38 But nobody will admit that in front of the camera.
03:42 The company contracted to build the airport refused an interview.
03:45 The Ministry of Environment in Tirana rejects the allegations.
03:51 The study and the strategic environmental assessment conducted for the Flora airport
03:56 found that it not only meets the requirements of Albania's national legislation, but also
04:01 of the international legislation for construction of airports and the protection of preserves.
04:11 What the people here need above all else is jobs, says Barti Trolka.
04:16 He and his family barely manage to scrape by.
04:19 Still, sometimes when he thinks of the airport, he feels a bit uneasy.
04:23 We might not see the risks at the moment because we're just focusing on the good things.
04:28 The only real danger is that they could chase us away from here completely.
04:34 His neighbors share his mixed feelings.
04:37 Rumors about enormous new housing developments are making the rounds.
04:42 They should definitely go ahead with building the airport because it's something that will
04:45 help the country and this region develop.
04:48 The infrastructure, all the streets and so on.
04:51 They should build it, but not if it means destroying nature and the beauty we have here,
04:56 the trees and the sea.
04:58 Hopes, dreams and fears surround the Vjosa natural paradise.
05:04 [Music]
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