Page 29 - EarthHeroes

the village kids, or enjoy a drink with the locals. As they travelled, they shared their experiences and photos on social media, and their stories were reported on TV and in newspapers all over the world.
The last river the friends kayaked was the Vjosa, which runs through Greece and Albania and is the longest free-flowing river in Europe. Environmental groups and schoolchildren gathered on the riverbank to protest against a dam planned for nearby Poçem. The campaigners believed that, instead of being dammed
to create hydroelectric power, the river should be turned into Europe’s first Wild River National Park, bringing visitors and jobs through sustainable tourism.
During the tour, Rok had collected signatures on his kayak as a petition in support of the Vjosa National Park. On the last day, the kayakers and hundreds of people gathered
in Albania’s capital city, Tirana. Rok gave a speech and then tried to deliver the kayak to the doorstep of the Prime Minister’s office. But police stopped him, and the kayak, which had sped down some of the most beautiful rivers in Europe, was left in the road.
But despite this final obstacle, Rok’s first Balkan Rivers Tour had been a huge success. It was the biggest ever river conservation protest in Europe and had raised awareness of the negative impact of dams and the ongoing threat to the Balkans’ rivers. It has so far helped to stop six dams from being built.
Rok has decided to dedicate his life to protecting wild rivers. Together with
his friends, he has formed an organisation called the Balkan River Defence, which works with local activists and scientists to fight for rivers and wildlife,
but most importantly to give a voice to local people. They want to show that there are other ways to use rivers without destroying them; each year they gather kayakers from all over the world to protest against dams while camping, enjoying live music and local food, and paddling the beautiful wild water.
Rok believes passionately that you don’t need to be a scientist to conserve nature, you just need to have a voice. For him, conservation is cool and only positivity can overcome negativity and greed. And as the adventures of this free-spirited and fun-loving activist prove, there’s nothing better than doing good while doing something you love.
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