In the next few days, rivers will once again be in the international spotlight.
On 25 September, a large number of river events will be organised in over 100 countries and the European River Summit will take place frim Sept 29 – Oct 1 in Brussels. ERN will also be part of the programme.
> more info World Rivers Day
> more info European Rivers Summit
France / Sélune River : Only 4 weeks after the demolition of the Roche qui boit dam and 2 years after Vezin’s demolition, a first salmon was already electronically located upstream of the construction sites !
The study relating to the research and development contract on the ecosystem services of wild rivers in connection with the ecological label “Site Rivières Sauvages” carried out by the Office Français de Biodiversité (OFB) in partnership with ERN France, Association du Réseau Rivières Sauvages and Cerema is being finalised, one of the stages of which was the holding of a restitution seminar in the form of a webinar, remotely, on Tuesday 07/12/2021 from 9.30 am to 12 noon.
This webinar highlighted the main lessons learned on the technical and scientific, social, environmental, territorial and economic aspects of the so-called ecosystem services generated by rivers in very good ecological condition that have been awarded the “Wild Rivers Site” label.
The challenge in terms of research consisted in addressing the dynamics of the interdependence between an ecosystem and the stakeholders who benefit from it, in order to shed light on the modalities of an adapted sustainable management. The aim was to go beyond an approach based on the pure functionality of the ecosystem.
Three labelled watersheds were analysed: the Estéron (06), the Léguer (22), the Nant Bénin (73) following the study on the Taravo (2A) …
– The “La Roche qui boit” dam has been removed!
After many postponements, the second 17-metre high dam “La Roche qui boit” on the Sélune has been demolished. A 45-metre wide breach has already been opened to allow the flow of any floods. The remaining sides of the 120 m wide structure and the renaturation work should be completed by the end of 2022. After the demolition of the 37 m high Vezins dam two years ago, the ecological continuity of the historic salmon river Sélune is now restored after about 100 years. In the main river alone, more than 60 km are free and allow access to former spawning sites. Salmons could swim up the Sélune from the Baie Saint Michel during the next salmon migration, at the latest in spring 2023. Two castillons (salmon that have only spent one year at sea) have already been observed by specialists just downstream of the “Roche qui boit”. The campaign for a free Sélune led by associations including ERN, the French Fishing Federation, FNE and others will have lasted 20 years. A great success!
Copyright : ERN – Roberto Epple
The record of ERN’s Q&R session in french is now available
Big Jump July 10 !
It’s that time again, in one month’s time on 10 July the Big Jump will take place all over Europe. Whether small or large, individual or group or big event, with swimming or not, all forms of celebrating our rivers are welcome. Please inform yourself and if possible register your project on our > Big Jump website.
The European Open Rivers Programme is inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) for project submissions for dam removal preparatory and demolition projects that fall under grant categories A and B. The EoI must be submitted online via the programme’s Grant Management System by 17:00 CET on 8th July 2022.
For more information about the application eligibility criteria, grant types, application process and guidelines, and how applications will be assessed, please visit our Application Resources webpage.
ERN (European Rivers Network) is coordinating and supporting all applys from France and french speaking regions. Contact us : contact@erninfo.net
On the occasion of the World Migratory Fish Day, of which ERN is an official partner, SOS Loire Vivante organizes in cooperation with EDF two guided tours of the “Nouveau Poutès” dam.
Indeed, in the Haut Allier, the works at the Poutès dam are now completed! Since the end of 2021, the dam is reconfigured to allow the free circulation of the last wild salmon populations during 3 months per year while maintaining about 85% of the hydroelectricity production.
Freshwater fish are the emblems of living rivers, indicators of good quality of the environment and vector of the development of sustainable activities on the territories. 15,000 species of freshwater fish and more particularly the 1,100 species of migratory fish are in danger. They no longer travel freely because of the numerous developments carried out on our rivers over the last few centuries (dams, weirs, etc.). To accomplish their migration, which is essential for their complete life cycle, they are now dependent on our policies and our commitments to restore and protect our rivers.More info on https://worldfishmigrationday.com/ but also Twitter, Facebook, Insta
Emma Haziza, hydrologist on France inter: “Everything that happens in our lives is found in our rivers”
Finally global information on water and rivers, far from the usual dogmatism and shortcuts … 22 exciting minutes that show without ambiguity that the 6th planetary limit is crossed: that of water with the degradation of its quality and shortages just about everywhere, including in France!
To see this interview again, click here !
Emma Haziza is not at her first interview, in 2020 she was already on France inter. Did you know that agricultural consumption can account for 80% of water use in France in summer? To know more about it, it’s here.
ANP|WWF Portugal, World Fish Migration Foundation, Wetlands International and The Nature Conservancy invite you to the 7th Dam Removal Europe seminar, an event that will be held, for the first time, in Lisbon, Portugal, where the dam removal process is starting.
This time, the objective is to increase the general commitment and know-how on dam removal, to make it as effective as possible and to initiate new funding mechanisms and policy changes. Speakers from Europe and beyond will share their best practices.
The event will consist of a two-day conference and a third day devoted to a field trip to a river restoration site. The seminar is part of the global celebrations of World Fish Migration Day and one of the highlights will be the Portuguese premiere of the documentary DAMBUSTERS.
ERN, official partner, will participate in the event with a live broadcast on the Romanche river where Roberto Epple, president of the association, will present the destruction of 4 dams on this river.
You will meet river basin authorities, ministries, mayors, political decision makers, European project managers, water agencies, companies, engineers, researchers, students, social experts and the public interested in free flowing rivers.
To register and access the program, click here!
ERN France
ERN is the official WWF Freshwater Partner in France and cooperates with WWF Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands and others
