Europe sees rise in dam removals

In 2024, a record 542 river barriers were removed across Europe. This is an 11% increase compared to the 487 taken out in 2023. This reveals a new report by Dam Removal Europe. Last year, Finland led the way with 138 structures removed. Barrier removal is one of the key solutions for river restoration. This is also one of the objectives of the European Union’s Nature Restoration Regulation, that came into force in 2024.

The Dam Removal Report 2024 provides detailed statistics on dam removals across the continent. Last year, the most barriers were removed in Finland, France, Spain and Sweden. Most of the removed barriers were culverts (45%) that allow river water to flow under a road or railway without disrupting the surface. Think of tunnels or tubes. Among the removed obstacles 43% were weirs. These low barriers are built across a river to control the water level or flow. Dams were the next most common type to be removed (8 %), followed by fords and sluices. Sixteen of the removed barriers were used or originally built for hydropower production. In 2024 more than 2,900 km of rivers were reconnected through barrier removals.

EU Nature Restoration Regulation will boost dam removal

The significance of river connectivity and barrier removal has been recognized in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. This Regulation sets legally binding targets to revive nature, combat biodiversity loss, and enhance climate resilience. “A key provision of the Regulation is the restoration of at least 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030, making it a game-changer for freshwater ecosystems and barrier removal efforts across Europe. Removing these structures is essential not only for reestablishing natural water flow, sediment transport, and nutrient cycles, which in turn supports biodiversity and enhances ecosystem services, but also for eliminating the risk of failure posed by these obsolete barriers”, states the Dam Removal Report 2024.

National Restoration Plans

Each EU Member State must submit a draft National Restoration Plan by mid-2026, outlining how they will meet the Regulation’s targets, including those for freshwater ecosystems. Dam Removal Europe sees this as a significant opportunity to accelerate efforts to dismantle obsolete and harmful barriers and reverse centuries of damage to Europe’s freshwater ecosystems. “However, without clear commitments, Member States may focus on other restoration actions rather than barrier removal. Barrier removal should remain at the heart of Europe’s river restoration efforts— bringing life back to the waterways and securing a healthier, safer, more resilient future for both people and nature”, the report emphasizes.

Sélune river revival

One of the most significant case studies comes from northern France. Last year, a first study on the effects of the removal of dams in the Sélune river in northern France pointed out it was a success for nature. Environmentalists recently found sea lampreys, eels and salmon. After more than 90 years the river, which empties in the bay of Mont St Michel in Normandy, flowed freely again in late 2022. This was the result of the full removal of the Roche qui Boit dam and the removal of a bigger dam, at Vezins, in 2020.

Dam Removal Europe

Dam Removal Europe (DRE) is a movement of river enthusiasts, volunteers, activists, river practitioners, biologists and environmental agencies working on river restoration. The driving force behind this movement is a coalition formed by WWF, The Rivers Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the European Rivers Network, Rewilding Europe, and Wetlands International. The organisation started in 2020 and since then, 8,146 river barriers have been removed.