Context Large near-natural rivers have become rare in Europe, a fact reflected in the high conservation status of many riverine ecosystems. While the Balkan still harbors several intact river corridors, most of these are under pressure from planned hydropower constructions. Unfortunately, there is little information available on the hydromorphodynamics and biota of Balkan rivers under threat. Objectives We present a synthesis of research on the Vjosa in Southern Albania. Here, longitudinal continuity in water flow, undisturbed sediment transport and intact fluvial dynamics are still maintained, but threatened by two large dams planned in its downstream section. We intend to provide a first multidisciplinary inventory of this river system as an example of the knowledge base required for sound water management decisions in the Balkans. Methods Based on field work of a multidisciplinary consortium of scientists from Albania and other countries conducted from 2017 onwards, we summarize the most important findings on geomorphology of the riverine landscape, habitat turnover rates, vegetation ecology and selected animal taxa. Results We found evidence that significant areas (86%) of the river corridor are covered by habitats listed in Annex 1 of the European Union Habitats Directive. These are associated with a high number of threatened biota. Conclusions Our findings underscore the value of the Vjosa as one of the few remaining reference sites for dynamic floodplains in Europe and as a natural laboratory for interdisciplinary research. We emphasize that such multidisciplinary studies are a prerequisite for informed evaluation of potential impacts caused by hydropower plants.

中文翻译：

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维约萨河走廊：自然流体形态动力学模型和具有欧洲重要性的高度受威胁生态系统的热点

背景 近乎自然的大型河流在欧洲已变得罕见，这一事实反映在许多河流生态系统的高度保护状态上。虽然巴尔干地区仍有几条完整的河流走廊，但其中大部分都受到计划中水电建设的压力。不幸的是，关于受到威胁的巴尔干河流的流体形态动力学和生物群的信息很少。目标 我们对阿尔巴尼亚南部的 Vjosa 进行了综合研究。在这里，水流的纵向连续性、未受干扰的沉积物运输和完整的河流动力学仍然保持，但受到下游部分规划的两座大型水坝的威胁。我们打算提供该河流系统的第一个多学科清单，作为巴尔干地区健全的水资源管理决策所需的知识库的一个例子。方法基于阿尔巴尼亚和其他国家的多学科科学家联盟从 2017 年开始进行的实地工作，我们总结了河流景观地貌、栖息地周转率、植被生态学和选定动物类群的最重要发现。结果 我们发现证据表明，河流走廊的重要区域 (86%) 被欧盟栖息地指令附件 1 中列出的栖息地所覆盖。这些与大量受威胁的生物群有关。结论 我们的研究结果强调了 Vjosa 作为欧洲少数剩余的动态洪泛区参考点之一以及作为跨学科研究的天然实验室的价值。我们强调，此类多学科研究是对水电站造成的潜在影响进行知情评估的先决条件。