Dam Removal Europe Achieves Record with Over 600 River Barriers Removed
In a positive move for the environment, more than 2,300 miles of European waterways were reconnected in the past year following a record-breaking removal of dams across the continent.
A report released by environmental group Dam Removal Europe revealed that 603 river barriers were dismantled across Europe in the previous year, a significant rise from the 542 removed in 2024. The countries leading this green initiative were Sweden, with 173 dam removals, Finland, with 143, and Spain with 109. It is also worth mentioning that Iceland and Macedonia successfully tore down their first river barriers.
The successful year saw Dam Removal in Europe reconnect approximately 2,300 miles of waterways in 2025. This has resulted in notable improvements in river habitats and has reopened migratory routes for fish, significantly boosting aquatic biodiversity.
Positive biodiversity changes have already been observed in several areas, such as along the River Dee in North Wales, where there has been a significant increase in sightings of sea lamprey nests following the removal of the Erbistock Weir.
“Seeing these nests is genuinely exciting,” shared Joel Rees-Jones, who led the removal project. “By reconnecting habitats and removing barriers like the Erbistock Weir, we’re giving iconic species such as lamprey and Atlantic salmon a fighting chance to thrive.”,
Despite these achievements, there still remains a significant number of obstacles. “With more than 150,000 obsolete barriers fragmenting European rivers, there is still a lot of work to be done,” commented Dam Removal Europe. “But momentum is really building.”
