LIBRARY: Introducing the TETHYS4ADRION Pilot Rivers: The Buna-Bojana River

The Buna-Bojana River is one of the five pilot rivers monitored under the TETHYS4ADRION project. Stretching 44 km, it forms part of the natural border between Albania and Montenegro. The river originates from Lake Shkodër-Skadar, between Mount Tarabosh and the hill of Rozafa Castle in the village of Samrisht (Albania), and flows into the Adriatic Sea near the towns of Velipojë (Albania) and Ulcinj (Montenegro). It is the second-largest freshwater tributary to the Adriatic and has the third-highest discharge of all rivers flowing into the European Mediterranean. Its most notable tributaries include the Morača (Montenegro) and the Cemi and Drin rivers (Albania).

The river mouth is a rare example of a natural delta along the eastern Adriatic coast. Within this delta lies Ada Bojana, an island formed by long-term sediment deposition between two riverbanks, which splits the river into two branches before it reaches the sea. Today, Ada Bojana is a popular tourist destination.

The river, together with surrounding wetlands and forests, provides critical habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles, including many rare and endangered species. The area supports diverse vegetation and is internationally recognized: both Lake Shkodër-Skadar and the Buna-Bojana River are included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The site serves as a migratory, nesting, resting, and feeding ground for numerous bird species, 76% of which are migratory. The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), a species of conservation concern, is regularly observed here. The Ulcinj Salina provides ideal nesting conditions for species such as the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), Eurasian thick-knee (Burhinus oedicnemus), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), collared pratincole (Glareola pratincola), and others. Two globally threatened species, the ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) and the pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), also inhabit the Buna-Bojana Delta.

The river supports commercially valuable freshwater fish such as common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Prussian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio), chub (Leuciscus cephalus albus), and perch (Perca fluviatilis). It is also home to the pictum roach (Pachychilon pictum), an endemic freshwater fish.

The region hosts a rich variety of vegetation, including willows (Salix spp.), poplars (Populus spp.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), ash (Fraxinus spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus), tamarisk (Tamarix parviflora), and others. Floodplain forests play a vital role in regulating soil moisture during dry Mediterranean summers.

Forested and marshy habitats provide refuge for terrestrial mammals such as the brown hare (Lepus capensis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and golden jackal (Canis aureus). The area is also an important reserve for endemic Balkan reptiles, including Podarcis muralis albanica, Telescopus fallax fallax, Elaphe quatuorlineata quatuorlineata, Elaphe situla, and Coluber najadum dahli. Sporadic nesting of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) has been recorded on Ada Bojana, highlighting its occasional importance as a marine turtle nesting site.

The Buna-Bojana region is home to about 53,000 people. The local economy relies primarily on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and trade, which provide employment for most of the population. Much of the production is consumed locally or sold directly to consumers through informal channels. Lake Shkodër-Skadar serves as the main fishing ground, supplemented by catches from the Buna-Bojana River. To showcase the area’s tourism potential, Velipojë Municipality (Albania) welcomes between 80,000 and 400,000 visitors annually.

Due to its slow flow, the Buna-Bojana is navigable by small vessels that can pass through its mouth.

Despite its ecological and economic importance, the region faces significant environmental pressures. Water pollution and river stress stem from municipal solid waste, untreated wastewater, and industrial dumping. Improperly managed plastic waste from tourism, recreation, agriculture, livestock, and hydropower activities adds to the problem. Improvised dumpsites along the riverbanks further increase the risk of contamination. In rural and peri-urban areas, agricultural and livestock plastics are often burned, buried, or abandoned in open fields.

The Buna-Bojana River is also an important source of sediment that shapes coastal morphology in the transboundary zone and contributes to the formation of beaches in the delta. The total length of beaches in the delta reaches 20 km. In addition to Ada Bojana (2.9 km), the most notable beaches are Velika Plaža (Montenegro), approximately 13 km long and 100 m wide on average, and Velipoja Beach (Albania), which stretches 4 km.

Over the past decade, significant silting has occurred in the river’s right branch, raising concerns that it could become completely blocked by sand, causing Ada Bojana to merge with Velika Plaža and potentially disappear. Intensive dredging has temporarily slowed this process in critical areas, but sediment deposition continues to threaten the Buna-Bojana bifurcation zone and the river-sea contact area.

The river’s hydrology is highly complex, as it depends on the flow of Lake Shkodër-Skadar and its tributaries, particularly the Drin River. Because the downstream section of the Buna-Bojana forms an interstate watercourse, an integrated management system is essential.

Although no major hydropower facilities are located directly on the Buna-Bojana, several large hydropower plants operate along the Drin River. These disrupt natural flow regimes and lead to the accumulation of floating debris—especially plastics—in reservoirs and dammed river segments. Natural processes, such as wind and rain-driven runoff, further contribute to the transport of plastic debris into the river system.

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