Albanian coast hit by irreversible damage from Trump-linked resort project

A luxury resort development proposed by Jared Kushner, son‑in‑law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is under construction on the Narta lagoon coastline in Albania. The €4.5 billion project, intended to host high‑end hotels amid flamingo colonies and on an uninhabited island, has already destroyed dunes, felled trees and poured concrete into coastal areas, disrupting habitats of loggerhead sea turtles, numerous bird species and other wildlife. Scientists such as marine biologist Olsi Nika (EcoAlbania) describe the impact as “a real massacre of biodiversity across thousands of hectares,” while professors Ferdinand Bego (University of Tirana) and Friedrich Schiemer (University of Vienna) warn that the damage is largely irreversible.

Nightly protests in Tirana, organised by NGOs and local activists, have intermittently halted earth‑moving works, but police on several occasions deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Prime Minister Edi Rama backs the project and dismisses the protests as politically motivated, while protesters label the movement the “flamingo revolution.” Barbed‑wire fences were erected around the site six weeks ago, sparking further public anger.