Sign the Petitions to Protect the Viliya–Neris River and the Wild Baltic Salmon

The Viliya–Neris is one of the last largely intact river ecosystems in the Baltic region – a vital migration corridor for Wild Baltic Salmon and a lifeline for protected Natura 2000 habitats. Yet this living river is increasingly exposed to overlapping nuclear, ecological and infrastructural risks.

The Astravets nuclear plant in Belarus – already associated with repeated safety incidents – uses the river system for cooling and process water. At the same time, the Astravets district is being prioritised as a potential site for deep radioactive-waste disposal within the same catchment. Any contamination would move downstream into Lithuania and the Baltic Sea – one of the most environmentally stressed seas on Earth.

In parallel, publicly discussed plans in Lithuania would convert the Neris into heavy-duty transport infrastructure, including proposals for dredging and large-scale river-engineering works – even within Natura 2000 protected areas. Such interventions would destroy spawning grounds, damage river morphology and sever one of the last functioning salmon migration routes in the entire Baltic basin.

This is not a domestic matter confined to one country. It is a transboundary environmental risk that affects ecosystems, biodiversity, local communities and the Baltic Sea as a whole. A living river must not be sacrificed to nuclear hazards or military-driven ecological destruction.

We cannot remain indifferent to this threat. That is why we at Our House have launched a petition to raise public awareness and to call for urgent protection of the Viliya–Neris River and the Wild Baltic Salmon.

We invite everyone who cares about Europe’s rivers, about the Baltic Sea, and about the survival of wild salmon to add their voice. The more signatures we gather, the stronger our common call to defend the river and stop its destruction.

Sign the petition on the Our House website:

https://ndbelarus.com/2025/12/08/save-neris-viliya/