Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the coastal village of Zvërnec this week to block bulldozers on the Vjosa‑Narta wetland, where a €1.4 billion luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner’s firm Affinity Partners is slated for construction. The project would add roughly 10,000 hotel rooms and villas on the uninhabited island of Sazan and along the mainland shoreline, sparking accusations that the Albanian government is sacrificing protected nature for foreign capital.

€1.4 billion Kushner‑backed resort on Sazan Island

The development plan, disclosed by Affinity Partners, envisions a sprawling resort complex on Sazan Island and a coastal strip bordering the Vjosa‑Narta wetland . According to the source report,the venture would cost €1.4 billion and include about 10,000 rooms and villas, a scale that dwarfs any existing tourism infrastructure in Albania.

Vjosa‑Narta wetland hosts 70 endangered species

Environmental groups warn that the wetland is a sanctuary for more than 70 endangered species , including flamingos, Dalmatian pelicans, Mediterranean monk seals and loggerhead sea turtles. BirdLife Europe’s policy head Anouk Puymartin emphasized that the area also serves as a critical migration corridor for millions of birds traveling between Europe and Africa each year.

Prime Minister Edi Rama defends project amid protests

Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly rejected calls to halt the scheme, stating that the resort will not be abandoned despite the street demonstrations. As the source notes, the government argues the development will boost the national economy, even as protesters accuse officials of bypassing transparency and ignoring protected‑area laws.

Who will decide the fate of the barbed‑wire fenced beach?

Anti‑corruption prosecutors opened an investigation into the deal weeks after Kushner announced the project, but no charges have been filed against the former White House adviser. Meanwhile, a barbed‑wire fence now blocks public access to the beach, and activists demand the removal of heavy machinery that has already begun reshaping sand dunes—a process that could take centuries to reverse.

Open question: Will Albania’s environmental protections survive the pressure?

The key unknowns are whether the Albanian courts will enforce the protected‑areas law, and how much political leverage international investors like Kushner’s firm truly have over domestic policy. The source reports that no official timeline has been given for a final decision, leaving the future of Vjosa‑Narta in limbo.