Dam removals in river restoration - bending the curve of weakened endangered status of migratory fish in Finland

Abstract

The endangered status of fishes in Finland has continuously weakened at each official assessment. WWF Finland (World Wide Fund for Nature) aims at bending this curve. Especially the migratory fish species bear high extinction risk, with habitat destruction identified as a major pressure. In Finnish waters there are thousands of obstacles hindering or halting fish migration and their natural life cycle. WWF Finland has launched a dam removal project, targeting foremost obsolete dams that are not used for hydropower. Simultaneously other restoration measures such as recreation of spawning sites are applied in the same water ways. Large scale awareness raising activities are carried out with partners, to affirm the general conception and acceptance of dam removals among water owners and general public. WWF is also a partner in Dam Removal Europe network. Its ambition is to restore rivers in Europe, that used to be of high natural or cultural importance, by removing dams. The best practices in dam removals are also shared in this network alongside with data mapping of existing and removed obstacles in European waters. There are many rivers in Europe which would ecologically flourish if the obsolete dams and weirs could be removed. Consequently, the European WWF offices will have river restoration, dam removals, and nature-based solutions in flood protection in their future agenda. WWF is also defending the existing EU water legislation that is currently under an attack, and opposing any new dams in Europe. There are further plans for great number of ecologically damaging dams especially in Turkey and in the Balkan region.