The river of Ljusnan runs like a snake through deep green forest and meadows. Along the many curves of the river there are sand beaches. Seen from above in the village of Bruksvallarna, Harjedalen, Sweden. Photo Credit: tobiasjo/Getty Images
Environment EuropeRiver Restoration Effort Reaches New Milestone
A record-breaking river restoration effort reconnected thousands of kilometres of waterways in Europe, helping strengthen biodiversity, water security and climate resilience.
“These achievements show a true European river restoration success story,” said Merijn Hougee, Head of International Landscapes at WWF Netherlands. “By removing more barriers, we are able to show how biodiversity bounces back and how we can strengthen resilience against climate change.”
At least 603 river barriers were removed across 29 countries in 2025, reconnecting more than 3,740 km of rivers and marking the fifth consecutive year of record growth. The total exceeded the previous year’s record by 11%, with Sweden, Finland and Spain leading the effort. Many of the structures removed were small, obsolete dams, weirs and culverts that no longer served a useful purpose but continued to disrupt river ecosystems. The growing movement supports Europe’s goal of restoring 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030 and contributes to global efforts to restore 300,000 km of degraded rivers, helping reverse biodiversity loss and improve the health of freshwater ecosystems.
