More than one million barriers fragment Europe’s rivers

Barbara Belletti, Carlos Garcia de Leaniz (), Joshua Jones, Simone Bizzi, Luca Börger, Gilles Segura, Andrea Castelletti, Wouter van de Bund (), Kim Aarestrup, James Barry, Kamila Belka, Arjan Berkhuysen, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Martina Bussettini, Mauro Carolli, Sofia Consuegra, Eduardo Dopico, Tim Feierfeil, Sara Fernández, Pao Fernandez Garrido, Eva Garcia-Vazquez, Sara Garrido, Guillermo Giannico, Peter Gough, Niels Jepsen, Peter E. Jones, Paul Kemp, Jim Kerr, James King, Małgorzata Łapińska, Gloria Lázaro, Martyn C. Lucas, Lucio Marcello, Patrick Martin, Phillip McGinnity, Jesse O’Hanley, Rosa Olivo del Amo, Piotr Parasiewicz, Martin Pusch, Gonzalo Rincon, Cesar Rodriguez, Joshua Royte, Claus Till Schneider, Jeroen S. Tummers, Sergio Vallesi, Andrew Vowles, Eric Verspoor, Herman Wanningen, Karl M. Wantzen, Laura Wildman and Maciej Zalewski
Additional contact information
Barbara Belletti: Politecnico di Milano
Carlos Garcia de Leaniz: Swansea University
Joshua Jones: Swansea University
Simone Bizzi: Politecnico di Milano
Luca Börger: Swansea University
Gilles Segura: Conservatoire National du Saumon Sauvage
Andrea Castelletti: Politecnico di Milano
Wouter van de Bund: European Commission Joint Research Centre
Kim Aarestrup: Technical University of Denmark
James Barry: Inland Fisheries Ireland
Kamila Belka: European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Arjan Berkhuysen: World Fish Migration Foundation
Kim Birnie-Gauvin: Technical University of Denmark
Martina Bussettini: Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
Mauro Carolli: Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
Sofia Consuegra: Swansea University
Eduardo Dopico: University of Oviedo
Tim Feierfeil: ingenieurbüro kauppert
Sara Fernández: University of Oviedo
Pao Fernandez Garrido: World Fish Migration Foundation
Eva Garcia-Vazquez: University of Oviedo
Sara Garrido: AEMS-Rios con Vida
Guillermo Giannico: Oregon State University
Peter Gough: World Fish Migration Foundation
Niels Jepsen: Technical University of Denmark
Peter E. Jones: Swansea University
Paul Kemp: University of Southampton
Jim Kerr: University of Southampton
James King: Inland Fisheries Ireland
Małgorzata Łapińska: European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Gloria Lázaro: AEMS-Rios con Vida
Martyn C. Lucas: Durham University
Lucio Marcello: University of Highlands and Islands
Patrick Martin: Conservatoire National du Saumon Sauvage
Phillip McGinnity: University College Cork
Jesse O’Hanley: University of Kent
Rosa Olivo del Amo: World Fish Migration Foundation
Piotr Parasiewicz: Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute
Martin Pusch: Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
Gonzalo Rincon: Polytechnic University of Madrid
Cesar Rodriguez: AEMS-Rios con Vida
Joshua Royte: The Nature Conservancy
Claus Till Schneider: RWE Generation SE
Jeroen S. Tummers: Durham University
Sergio Vallesi: Durham University
Andrew Vowles: University of Southampton
Eric Verspoor: University of Highlands and Islands
Herman Wanningen: World Fish Migration Foundation
Karl M. Wantzen: University of Tours
Laura Wildman: Princeton Hydro
Maciej Zalewski: European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Nature, 2020, vol. 588, issue 7838, 436-441

Abstract: Abstract Rivers support some of Earth’s richest biodiversity1 and provide essential ecosystem services to society2, but they are often fragmented by barriers to free flow3. In Europe, attempts to quantify river connectivity have been hampered by the absence of a harmonized barrier database. Here we show that there are at least 1.2 million instream barriers in 36 European countries (with a mean density of 0.74 barriers per kilometre), 68 per cent of which are structures less than two metres in height that are often overlooked. Standardized walkover surveys along 2,715 kilometres of stream length for 147 rivers indicate that existing records underestimate barrier numbers by about 61 per cent. The highest barrier densities occur in the heavily modified rivers of central Europe and the lowest barrier densities occur in the most remote, sparsely populated alpine areas. Across Europe, the main predictors of barrier density are agricultural pressure, density of river-road crossings, extent of surface water and elevation. Relatively unfragmented rivers are still found in the Balkans, the Baltic states and parts of Scandinavia and southern Europe, but these require urgent protection from proposed dam developments. Our findings could inform the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which aims to reconnect 25,000 kilometres of Europe’s rivers by 2030, but achieving this will require a paradigm shift in river restoration that recognizes the widespread impacts caused by small barriers.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-3005-2

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