Briefing

Tracking barriers and their impacts on European river ecosystems

Briefing Published 08 Feb 2021 Last modified 02 Mar 2023

9 min read

Photo: © Robert de Jong, REDISCOVER Nature/EEA

The importance of free-flowing rivers that allow free movement of water, sediment, fish and other organisms is increasingly recognised by EU environmental policy, in particular the Water Framework Directive and the biodiversity strategy for 2030. However, the large number of barriers on our rivers has resulted in a loss of river continuity. This briefing addresses the following questions: What is the density of barriers on rivers? What do we know about their impacts on rivers? How can we improve the European knowledge base on barriers in rivers?

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Disclaimer

The country assessments are the sole responsibility of the EEA member and cooperating countries supported by the EEA through guidance, translation and editing.

For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/european-waters/water-use-and-environmental-pressures/tracking-barriers-and-their-impacts or scan the QR code.

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