After finishing work at a bank in Tirana, 26-year-old Ardi regularly heads to the streets to protest.

He is one of the young Albanians participating in the country’s so-called Flamingo Revolution, a protest movement that emerged in May 2026. Demonstrators initially mobilised against plans for a large luxury tourism development on Albania’s Adriatic coast, close to the protected Vjosa–Narta wetland.

The proposed €1.4 billion project is linked to Affinity Partners, the investment company founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Plans reportedly include a resort with thousands of hotel rooms on a largely undeveloped stretch of coastline.

Environmental groups fear the development could cause irreversible damage to one of Albania’s most important natural areas. The wetlands surrounding the Narta Lagoon provide a habitat for flamingos, sea turtles, seals and more than 200 species of birds.

The flamingo has therefore become the symbol of the demonstrations. Protesters carry handmade cut-outs, inflatable birds and pink signs through the streets, turning an animal associated with the threatened wetlands into an emblem of civic resistance.

But for many demonstrators, the protests are no longer only about protecting nature.

Critics say decisions surrounding the development were made without sufficient public consultation or transparency. The movement has consequently expanded into a broader protest against alleged corruption, the privatisation of public land and a political system many young Albanians feel does not represent them.

For Ardi, participating means defending more than a piece of coastline. It is also about demanding a different future for Albania.

Like many young people involved in the movement, he wants greater accountability from those in power and a stronger voice for citizens in decisions that affect their communities. Despite working full-time, he continues to join the demonstrations day after day.

The protests have largely presented themselves as a grassroots movement independent of Albania’s established political parties. Participants come from different generations and professional backgrounds, united by concerns about environmental protection, public ownership and government accountability.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the development as an important foreign investment and rejected calls to stop it. Protesters, however, say economic development should not come at the cost of protected nature or take place without meaningful public scrutiny.

For Ardi, continuing to show up is a way of making sure that message cannot be ignored.

“I protest because I want a better Albania,” he says. “Not only for me, but for everyone who will live here after us.”