Dam Removal Europe, an initiative and network dedicated to removing old or non-functional dams across Europe, announced that a new record was achieved in 2024 with 542 river barriers removed. As highlighted, this reflects growing support and understanding among communities and governments.
Removals took place in 23 countries, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Turkey removing their first river barriers. Among the top-performing countries, Finland stands out with at least 138 removals, followed by France, Spain, and Sweden.
More than 2,900 kilometers of rivers were reconnected. In Italy, five barriers were removed along an 11-kilometer river stretch, restoring its natural flow for the first time in decades. In Croatia, 16 kilometers of rivers were reconnected, which also strengthened climate resilience, water and food security, and halted biodiversity loss, according to WWF Adria.
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There are over 1.2 million obstacles in European rivers — such as dams, barriers, and culverts — that interrupt their natural flow. Many of these structures are outdated and have a negative impact on the free movement of water, sediments, nutrients, and aquatic species. This fragmentation weakens the resilience of river ecosystems and reduces their natural functions, significantly contributing to biodiversity loss. A particularly alarming trend is the drastic decline in migratory freshwater fish populations, which have decreased by about 75 percent since 1970 in Europe.
In addition to the record-setting barrier removal, the past year was also marked by the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law, which sets a goal of restoring at least 25,000 kilometers of rivers to free-flowing conditions. Barrier removal plays a key role in the global Freshwater Challenge, which aims to restore 300,000 kilometers of degraded rivers by 2030.
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