Explained | The 2021 Dam Removal Progress report and why removing obsolete river barriers is important

Dams, and riverine barriers at large, lead to the loss of habitat for species belonging to riverine ecosystems and severely impact the routes of migratory fish.

The story so far: At least 239 barriers – a record figure – were removed from rivers across 17 countries of Europe, the 2021 Dam Removal Progress report has revealed. This is a 137 per cent increase from the previous year.

A total of 4,984 dams have been removed so far, according to data from nations across Europe —France, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Scotland, Denmark, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Estonia, Germany, and England and Wales,

The Dam Removal Progress report has been prepared by Dam Removal Europe (DRE), an organisation that aims to restore rivers in the continent that have high cultural or natural importance. It is a coalition of seven organisations – World Wildlife Fund, The Rivers Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the European Rivers Network, Rewilding Europe, Wetlands International, and the World Fish Migration Foundation.

The report serves as a means for European countries to evaluate EU policies and track the progress and impact of the removal of dams and subsequent river restoration. The 2021 report shows an increase in both the total number of removals and the number of European countries reporting barrier removals.

The EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy lists restoring 25,000 km of rivers across the bloc to a “free-flowing state” as one of the key steps to improve degraded ecosystems. The Biodiversity Strategy is a core part of the European Green Deal.

Spain led the way in barrier removal in 2021, removing 108 barriers over its rivers, while Portugal, Montenegro, and Slovakia reported removing riverine barriers for the first time.

There was a 55 per cent jump in the number of countries which reported their barrier removal statistics in 2021 as compared to the previous year.