Restoring key EU rivers can help achieve 10% of the bloc’s biodiversity targets under the Nature Restoration Law while strengthening countries’ resilience to the climate crisis, a new report has shown.
The EU regulation, agreed in June, introduced several critical measures for water-related ecosystems, including the objective of restoring 25,000 kilometres of rivers into free-flowing rivers by 2030.
WWF’s Rivers2Restore report, published on Tuesday, said member states could get closer to the target and tackle a significant portion of freshwater biodiversity loss in Europe by implementing restoration actions in 11 rivers accounting for 2,200 km:
- Adige river in Italy
- Kalentzis river in Greece
- Vascao river in Portugal
- The Danube delta in Romania
- Dienvidsusej river in Latvia
- Palokinkosket rapids in Finland
- Morava river in Austria
- Ammer river in Germany
- Guadalquivir river in Spain
- Bela river in Slovakia
- Geul river in the Netherlands
Restoration activities include removing river barriers such as dams to allow rivers to take their natural course, as well as creating more space for nature in and along the waters.
Those actions are also crucial to help countries cope with the effects of climate change, such as floods and drought, by absorbing excess water during heavy rains and replenishing groundwater, WWF said.
“Floods, droughts, and forest fires are becoming more intense and more frequent across Europe,” the report said.
“Healthy rivers play a vital role in mitigating [those disasters], and they are also essential for thriving economies, recreation, and ensuring plentiful clean water for drinking and farming,” added Claire Baffert, senior policy officer for water and climate adaptation at WWF’s European Policy Office.
In its report, WWF called on member states to include the 11 projects in their National Restoration Plans by 2030 and to boost funding towards broadening river restoration efforts.
As well, the report claimed the European Commission should make water resilience a priority for the next mandate while pressing on countries to raise their ambition on the matter.
“I call on decision-makers to show the ambition needed to make these projects a reality for nature, for people, and for a more climate and water-resilient Europe,” said Lan Wang-Erlandsson, lead author and researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre.
According to WWF’s Living Planet Index, freshwater biodiversity is the most threatened on Earth, facing an 83% decline in the global population compared to 1970.
In Europe, migratory fishes such as salmon, sturgeon, and eel, have declined by 93% since 1970, due to poor health conditions of the rivers. According to the WWF, Europe’s rivers are the most fragmented on the planet and 60% of EU rivers, lakes, and wetlands are considered not healthy.
“Addressing the freshwater biodiversity decline is therefore crucial if we want to halt biodiversity loss and achieve EU and global biodiversity goals,” the report said.
“Restoring riverine habitats and addressing pollution can help restart the recovery of freshwater species, which has come to a halt in the last decade in Europe.”
By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com
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