Going with the flow: Barrier removal for healthier rivers
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Advocacy
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Rivers and Lakes
A legal briefing to guide national authorities in restoring freshwater ecosystems across Europe.
The scale of river fragmentation in Europe is vast: an estimated 1.2 million barriers, including weirs, culverts, sluices, fords, ramps and dams, fragment river systems across the continent, many of them obsolete or undocumented. Many of these structures now persist even when they no longer serve a viable function.
Removing obsolete barriers is increasingly recognised as a cost-effective and ecologically robust restoration measure, helping re-establish river continuity, improve water quality, support fish populations, and increase resilience to floods and droughts.
Among its various restoration obligations, the Nature Restoration Law places a strong emphasis on freshwater ecosystems. Indeed, its article 9 sets the landmark legal target of restoring at least 25,000km of rivers into free-flowing condition by 2030, primarily through the removal of artificial barriers that disrupt natural river connectivity.
This legal briefing, that we published with Living Rivers Europe and Client Earth, is intended to support national authorities, river basin managers, and policy practitioners in interpreting and implementing Article 9 and bring life back to freshwater ecosystems across Europe.
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Contact
Irene Duque: [email protected]