Image description: A river damn with trees and a grey sky in the background. Image by Marta Wave / Pexels.

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.

Four countries (Bosnia &Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic and Turkey) dismantled their first river barriers, officially joining the Dam Removal movement.

“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 Wereld Natuur Fonds (WWF-NL). “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.”

Dam Removal Europe (DRE) is a coalition of six organizations: the WWF, The Rivers Trust, The Nature Conservancy European Rivers Network Rewilding Europe Wetlands International.