One step closer to free-flowing rivers: Four countries pave the way for scaling up dam removal in Southeastern Europe
Meet the Free Flow Champion: The River Collective
12 October 2023
First international conference on dam removal in Romania
13 November 2023
Scaling up dam removal: implementation plan for Southeastern (SE) Europe is a Dam Removal Europe (DRE) project bringing together several organisations with the aim of building a pipeline of removable river barriers in Southeastern European rivers.
Considering the high ecological potential of the region, Dam Removal Europe (DRE), led by the World Fish Migration Foundation (WFMF), initiates this project with regional partners to focus on expanding the dam removal movement. Funded by the European Open Rivers Programme, a grant-giving organisation dedicated to restoring rivers, the three-year project also counts on the expertise and support from Fauna & Flora, MedINA Greece, Wetlands International (WI), ERN (European Rivers Network), WWF Netherlands, Slovakia, and Adria.
With the main goal of accelerating the dam removal movement in the region, the activities included in the project are expected to generate a wide range of impactful outcomes. To name a few, the project aims to:
• Put dam removal on the political agenda while improving legislation to facilitate dam removal projects;
• Create and spread a positive evidence-based narrative in favour of river restoration and dam removal;
• Catalyse opportunities for dam removals in the region and ensure that practitioners have the needed expertise and tools to implement these projects and maximize ecological gains;
• And increase awareness about dam removal amongst governments, river managers, and the general public, resulting in higher comprehension of dam removal benefits.
Another important aspect of this project focuses on the economic constraints to dam removal, with the objective of identifying and releasing other funding sources for dam removal. All of the above-mentioned outcomes are expected to culminate in the overarching ambition of more obsolete dams being removed in the region and subsequent restoration of biodiverse rivers in Southeast Europe.
Jack Foxall, Executive Director of the European Open Rivers Programme.
But why dam removal? It has been found that over 1,2 million barriers fragment European rivers, with more than 156,000 being obsolete. Among the several harmful consequences is biodiversity loss, with a decline of 93% in freshwater migratory fish populations in Europe. Dam removal has been increasingly recognised as an effective nature restoration tool – a trend has been confirmed in the last Dam Removal Europe’s annual report, in which the number of reported removed barriers broke the record for the second year in a row.
Additionally, dam failures are becoming a pressing problem, putting in evidence how dams threaten human safety aside from the ecological impact. As these structures reach the end of their lifespan, together with a lack of maintenance and appropriate safety and security plans, the risk of collapse increases. The devastating collapse of two dams in Libya last month or the partial dam burst in Norway during the summer are recent examples of the growing danger of ageing dams. Climate change and extreme weather events, like floods, contribute to a higher risk of obsolete barriers collapsing. Although there are preventive solutions that can partially limit the risk of old dams, the most effective way to avoid collapse is to remove dams.
Hučava Weir, Slovakia © Rob Kleinjans
Building on the enthusiasm generated by the EU Nature Restoration Law and urgency in working harder to achieve EU Biodiversity targets, this project presents itself as a key opportunity to use the growing momentum around dam removal for meaningful change in Southeastern Europe and beyond.
Herman Wanningen, Director of the World Fish Migration Foundation
Four pilot countries pave the way - Croatia, Greece, Romania, and Slovakia – but the benefits and outcomes achieved by the project are expected to cross borders and extend to neighbouring countries.
Nevenka Lukic Rojsek, WWF Adria
Alexandra Pappa, MedINA's Freshwater Programme Manager
Also in Romania, despite the country’s incredibly high levels of biodiversity, its freshwater systems face significant pressures.
Iain Trewby, Fauna & Flora
In Slovakia, Martina Paulíková, expresses the ambition to take dam removal to the next level.
Martina Paulíková , Freshwater Programme Manager at WWF Slovakia
Although the larger part of activities will fall on these four countries, the positive impacts of the project are expected to cross borders and expand to a much wider area.
What we have accomplished so far:
International Conference and Field Trip in Romania
In November 2023, Fauna & Flora organised the first conference, "Our Waters - Restoring the Longitudinal Connectivity of Romanian Rivers", in Bucharest, Romania. The event brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss the problem of obsolete river barriers and strategies for river restoration. The following day, participants visited the Valsan River, home to the critically endangered Asprete fish, to observe the impacts of barriers on its habitat.Webinars and Barrier Identification
Several online webinars were hosted, identifying a pipeline of 26 barriers across 12 countries, including the pilot countries Romania, Slovakia, and Croatia. These efforts laid the groundwork for future dam removal projects and raised awareness about the importance of reconnecting rivers.MedINA organized the first screening in Greece of the documentary “Dambusters” in Athens, on World's Wetlands Day, followed by a panel discussion, with around 100 participants.
The official Greek webinar on Dam Removals was organized in early June, which had 70 people attending, most of them from the public sector - nature conservation agencies and decentralised water authorities, as well as NGO members.
On June 11, 2024, Fauna & Flora and WFMF organised an international webinar on "The Benefits of Dam Removal on Rivers," featuring speakers from Spain, Estonia, and Romania, who highlighted the ecological and socio-economic benefits of dam removal.
Masterclasses and Proposal Submissions
In February 2024, WWF NL launched a series of masterclasses with Q&A sessions, attracting significant interest. By April 18, proposals were submitted for dam removal!WFMF, WWF NL and ERN developed and implemented the Helpdesk service, available online to anyone who needs guidance on removing a dam or building a movement in their country.
Communication and Outreach
Our communication efforts have been robust, with over 150 articles published across digital and print media, reaching over 400,000 people through social media, newsletters, and YouTube videos. Highlights include guest appearances on national TV shows in Croatia and Greece and a published article in the international journal Oryx.Over the year we broadcasted four live events from Slovakia, England, Scotland and Lithuania, with five more planned for the summer and autumn of 2024.
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