The 2022 annual report is out!
Explosive Dam Removal in Norway
18 January 2022
Free Flow 2024 – International conference on protecting and restoring free-flowing rivers in Europe
19 June 2023
WFMF launches its annual report with new successes to celebrate!
Rivers are the arteries of the Earth, providing humankind with water, food, transportation, amazing landscapes, and incredible species. But freshwater ecosystems have been under attack! Dams and artificial river barriers constitute major threats to freshwater biodiversity and have led to a decline in fish populations – only in Europe, there was a collapse of 93% since the 1970s.There is an urgent need to stop nature loss and the World Fish Migration Foundation has played a key role in this. What makes our work unique is that we are building an international movement demanding dam removal by getting people excited about protecting rivers!
©Petteri Hautamaa
Dam removal is seen as the silver bullet when it comes down to the river restoration tools available. Once dams are removed the river starts flowing again, the river ecosystems come back to life and the biodiversity is enhanced. Dam removal also prevents channel and coastal erosion by letting sediments flow downstream again, improves water quality, and allows migratory fish and other aquatic fauna to migrate and fulfil their life!
©Wild Trout Trust
What we have been doing
We think global and act local! We believe that by working together we can restore rivers faster and bring them full of life again. Part of this process is that we track down the changemakers in the different countries and inspire them to start implementing dam removal. We share solutions, generate awareness, provide positive stories, and deliver a tool that actually works.
Over the years we achieved…
- Major policy change in 3 countries (Finland, Lithuania, and Sweden).
- Provided guidance on the development of the EU Biodiversity target of 25.000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030.
- Drove the first dam removals in Slovakia, Portugal, Montenegro, and Lithuania.
- Involved more than 6.000 people in the Dam Removal Europe movement in Europe.
- Developed a European database with more than 6.000 removed dams.
- Celebrated World Fish Migration Day all over the world.
- But we want more! Get to know more about us at worldfishmigrationfoundation.com and support our mission!
Check out our 2022 highlights in the report!
