Last year there was a 50% increase in the number of barriers being removed from European rivers. According to a report published by Dam Removal Europe (DRE), 487 barriers were removed from 15 European countries throughout 2023.
In line with the EU’s biodiversity targets, DRE says that the momentum behind restoring rivers through dam removals continues to grow, with last year’s actions leading to the reconnection of over 4300km of rivers. These results can be attributed to a combination of newly available funding opportunities such as the European Open Rivers Programme, the coordinated efforts of national and regional public authorities, plus the DRE coalition’s mainstreaming activities and increased public awareness.
Similarly to 2022, most of the removed barriers were low-head weirs which have a high probability of being old and/or obsolete and can be removed in a cost-efficient way. France led the way with 156 removals, followed by Spain with 95, 81 in Sweden and 72 in Denmark.
“It is amazing to witness another record-breaking year for dam removals in European rivers. Almost 500 barriers were removed, highlighting the growing support for river restoration to enhance water security, reverse nature loss and adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change,” said Herman Wanningen, Director of the World Fish Migration Foundation, a founding partner of Dam Removal Europe. “From France to Finland, communities, companies and countries are investing in removing obsolete and increasingly risky barriers to improve river health for people and nature.”
European rivers are fragmented by more than 1.2 million barriers, including over 150,000 obsolete barriers – many of which DRE claims pose significant hazards to people and wildlife. Wanningen drew attention to the need to remove these and prevent future disasters: “Obsolete barriers do nothing but harm the river, increase nature loss and pose a growing risk since they were built to cope with very different climatic conditions. It’s time to re-think the way we manage our rivers by removing all obsolete barriers and letting as many rivers as possible flow freely. A river that does not flow freely is slowly dying.”
DRE’s report does not include obsolete barriers that had fallen into decay and collapsed naturally or functional barriers that suffered structural failure due to extreme precipitation. In 2023 at least three of such incidences occurred across Europe in Norway, Northern Ireland and Slovenia, triggering landslides and floods that forced downstream communities to evacuate. DRE says it compiles information on these incidences to raise awareness, which can also be used to make well informed decisions and assist in the prioritisation of barrier removal projects.
Future plans for dam removal
Looking ahead, there are several significant barrier removal projects on the horizon for the near future. Croatia is set to proceed with the removal of eight barriers, including parts of old mills and remains of older infrastructure. Romania is also gearing up for its first barrier removal scheduled for May, a move anticipated to enhance river connectivity and ecosystem health. In Spain, the Catalan Water Agency plans to commence dam removal in Colonia del Rio in June, continuing its proactive approach towards river and ecological restoration in the country.
Dam Removal Europe
Dam Removal Europe (DRE) is a coalition of seven organisations: the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Rivers Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the European Rivers Network, Rewilding Europe, Wetlands International, and the World Fish Migration Foundation. DRE’s aim is to restore the free-flowing state of rivers and streams in Europe and to establish barrier removal as a restoration tool.
NB: River connectivity is a central topic of the EU Nature Restoration Law which includes an obligation to remove man-made barriers to help restore the free-flowing condition of at least 25000km of rivers in Europe by 2030. On the 27 February 2024, the European Parliament approved the Nature Restoration Law, following the provisional agreement reached by European member states in November 2023. It now must be adopted by the Council, before being published in the EU Official Journal and entering into force 20 days later.
