Author: Undiscovered Balkans

International Women's Day is HUGE in the Balkans. It's traditional for children to give roses to their female teachers as a token of their appreciation, while women swap messages of love and appreciation for each other. And so, we want to take this opportunity to spread the love too. You'll know if you've travelled with us that the Balkans boasts some truly breathtaking wild spaces. It's also home to vulnerable and endangered species - like our friend the Dalmatian Pelican at Lake Skadar - and some of Europe's few remaining free-flowing, wild rivers. One of the biggest threats to these ecosystems are hydropower projects which have devastating impacts on both people and nature, from blocking fish migration to destroying natural flood defences. There are some brilliant individuals and organisations out there defending these precious places and today we’re showing our appreciation for some of the fierce females standing up for nature in the Balkans. ‘The fight is on for these last truly wild spaces in Europe,’ says co-founder Emma, who herself has gotten behind some of the environmental campaigning in the Balkans. 'These women are doing some incredible, brave work to protect the nature and communities around them. They deserve our thanks, recognition and support.’ Jelena Popović: Montenegro If you joined us on our super active adventure in Montenegro, you may have experienced the beauty of Nevidio Canyon (aka the ‘Unseen Canyon’) for yourself. What you won't know is that the river running through it, the sky-coloured Komarnica, is threatened by a hydropower development that, if built, would devastate its entire ecosystem - one tipped by UNESCO for the heritage list due to its outstanding value. Ecologist Jelena Popović is one Montenegrin taking a giant stand to stop this, working tirelessly with other activists to protect the river. She's one of