Lord Nathaniel "Nat" Rothschild, the person who introduced Edi Rama to Jared Kushner on his yacht and one of the most well-known people in the world of finance, has publicly expressed concern for the second time about the way the Albanian government has treated the Butrint National Park.
In a comment published in response to Channel 4 journalist Lindsey Hilsum, Rothschild initially praises the Albanian prime minister, but then dwells on the decisions that, according to him, have damaged one of the country's most important natural and cultural assets.
“Edi Rama is a unique politician, someone I admire and has done many good things for Albania. But the reduction of 800 hectares from the Butrint National Park in 2022 and the 2024 legislation on strategic investments, in the way it applies to national parks and protected areas, is not in line with Albania’s obligations under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, with its commitments to membership in the European Union, and with the spirit of environmental protection that has been carefully built over the last three decades,” he writes.
Terrific report and interview @ediramaal is a unique politician, someone I admire, and has done so many good things for Albania. But the reduction of 800 acres from the Butrint National Park in 2022 and the 2024 strategic investment legislation as it applies to national parks...
— Nat Rothschild (@NatRothschild1) July 30, 2026
Through this reaction, Rothschild criticizes two decisions that have been at the center of public debate: the removal of about 800 hectares from the territory of the Butrint National Park and the legal changes of 2024 that paved the way for strategic investments in protected areas. According to him, these measures contradict the obligations that Albania has undertaken to UNESCO, the standards required by the integration process into the European Union and the philosophy on which environmental protection has been built in the last three decades.
This is not the first time Rothschild has intervened in this debate. This is his second public reaction to Butrint, while the controversy over protected areas has increased following legal changes approved by the government and major tourism projects on the coast.
Nat Rothschild is a British financier and member of the famous Rothschild dynasty. After the death of his father, Jacob Rothschild, he inherited the title of Fifth Baron Rothschild and continues to be one of the most well-known figures in the investment world. His name also became known in Albania after he was the one who introduced Edi Rama to Jared Kushner during a meeting on his yacht in 2021, an acquaintance that was later followed by the Kushner family's planned investment in southern Albania.
