• 542 barriers removed in 23 countries – 11% increase on previous record
• 2900 km of rivers were reconnected across the continent
• 4 countries removed their first barriers

The dam removal movement set a new record in Europe in 2024 with at least 542 river barriers coming down across the continent, reconnecting over 2900 km of rivers and helping to strengthen climate resilience, enhance water and food security, and reverse nature loss.

Published today, the Dam Removal Europe 2024 report showcases the growing momentum behind the removal of dams and other river barriers. For the first time, removals surpassed 500 in a single year, soaring to a new record – 11% higher than the previous mark set in 2023 and 400% higher than the first continental count in 2020 (Figure 1; Table 1).

Four countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic and Turkey – dismantled their first river barriers, officially joining the Dam Removal movement. Overall, removals took place in 23 countries.

Another record-breaking year highlights the growing support for dam removals across Europe as well as increasing understanding among communities and governments of the benefits of reconnecting and restoring our rivers for people and nature,” said Jelle de Jong, CEO WWF-Netherlands. “Healthy, free flowing rivers are central to adapting to the climate crisis and boosting biodiversity, but Europe’s rivers are the most fragmented in the world. We need to keep scaling up the removal of small obsolete dams that are blocking our rivers and set new records every year.

Over 1,2 million barriers, including dams, weirs and culverts, fragment European rivers. These barriers, tens of thousands of which are obsolete, have degraded the continent’s waterways, blocking the natural flow of water, sediments (Figure 2), nutrients and species – undermining resilience and ecosystems services, and contributing to the catastrophic loss of nature, including a 75% decline in freshwater migratory fish populations in Europe since 1970 (Figure 3).

This is a great result! We celebrate the growing movement of communities, scientists, and local authorities across Europe who are working tirelessly to free our rivers. We are moving in a good direction but a lot remains to be done. Obsolete barriers continue to block the natural flow of life: sediments, nutrients, and migratory species. They belong to no one, yet harm us all. Implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation can be an important tool to help us push the accelerator, and we call on policymakers to match their ambition with funding, expertise, and internal procedures to facilitate their removal” (Chris Bakker, Director of Wetlands International Europe)

For the first time, Finland topped the count, with at least 138 barrier removals, followed by France, Spain and Sweden. Most of the removed barriers were obsolete culverts and weirs, which can be dismantled cost-effectively, and have a significant cumulative impact.

For example, five barriers were removed along an 11 km stretch of the Giovenco River in Italy in 2024, restoring its natural flow for the first time in decades. The reconnected river will now – once again – be able to support migratory fish and other species, while its natural dynamics will create healthier habitats (Figure 4) for insects, birds and iconic species, like the otter, as well as reducing erosion and building resilience to floods. 

Along with the record removals, 2024 was also the year when the EU Nature Restoration Regulation came into force. Among its many goals is an ambitious target to restore at least 25000 km of fragmented rivers to a free-flowing state (Figure 5) by 2030, primarily through barrier removals. Moreover, barrier removals will also be a key tool in achieving the goals of the global Freshwater Challenge, which the EU has joined and which aims to ensure 300000 km of degraded rivers are under restoration by 2030.

Editor’s Notes: You can download the full report, graphs and photos here.

For any queries, please contact: Foivos Mouchlianitis, [email protected] 

About Dam Removal Europe

Dam Removal Europe (DRE) is a coalition of six organizations: the World Wildlife Fund, The Rivers Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the European Rivers Network, Rewilding Europe, and Wetlands International Europe. The overall ambition of DRE is to restore the free-flowing state of rivers and streams in Europe. In that respect, DRE aims to establish barrier removal as a restoration tool and to mainstream this practice. Through a bottom-up process DRE has created a continuously growing European network and it is working towards a holistic approach to remove barriers. More information: www.damremoval.eu