Ecological continuity on the Rhine: the response of NGOs!

In view of the next Ministerial Conference, which will take place in Amsterdam in 2020, environmental protection NGOs from the Rhine basin in favor of the ecological continuity of the Upper Rhine have just published a common position, in which they make known their requirements.

Indeed, at the last plenary meeting of the ICPR in Malbun in July 2019, France communicated its global plan for the restoration of ecological continuity of the Rhine between Rhinau and Vogelgrün.
Despite the implementation of the new “Living Rhine Plan”, which they welcome and approve, the NGOS deplore that the deadline of 2020 originally planned, nor any other deadline, is no longer included in the French program.

As a result, NGOs are demanding that all necessary work to ensure ecological continuity and relocation of naturally balanced salmon populations in the Rhine Basin to Basel be completed by the end of 2025.
They also call for a review clause for late 2022 and for a progress report.

>> For more details, read the position of associations (available in French and in German only)
> Read also our previous news about Rhine (July 2019)

>> French flyer “Plan Rhin Vivant”

 

 

R.Epple

60 years ago, the Malpasset Dam (Fréjus, France) broke…

The recent anniversary of the failure of the Malpasset dam (Fréjus-France) remind us how dangerous dams can be for human populations.

It was 60 years ago but the drama is still fresh in people mind. On December 2, 1959, the Malpasset dam, under the effect of torrential rains saturating its capacity, released 50 million cubic meters of water, in a wave of 60 meters high, making more than 400 victims…

Too many other dam-breaking accidents have already occurred in Europe. For example :

  • In 1923, the failure of the Gleno dan (Italia) caused 500 victims
  • In 1959, a dam failure in Vega de Tera reservoir (Zamora Spain), caused 144 deaths
  • In 1963, the overflow of the Vajont dam in Italia caused almost 2000 deaths…
  • etc…

Nowadays, although technologies have progressed, the persistence of this risk is unacceptable, especially when we add it to all the other negative impacts of dams on rivers. One reason more to avoid them…

Photo : Vajont dam disaster (Italia- 1963) – Archive photo

Publication of the 1st European inventory of hydropower plants …. Our rivers are damned by dams!

EuroNatur, Riverwatch, WWF and GEOTA have just published a new study on the extent of the pressure on the rivers of Europe. This is a real hydroelectric frenzy that rages across the European continent.

More than 8,700 new hydroelectric plants are planned on our rivers, and we know all the devastating impacts of these structures on biodiversity and society …

The inhabitants of the Balkans and their rivers are the most threatened.

 

Dowload the full report and the summary report

Also more infos below, in this Euronatur/Riverwatch Press Release :

 

Radolfzell, Vienna, November 28, 2019. The first pan-European inventory of existing and planned hydropower plants shows the immense pressure on rivers throughout the continent. In addition to the 21,387 existing hydropower plants, another 8,779 are planned, mainly in the Alps and the Balkans. Previously untouched rivers – especially in the Balkans – are to be destroyed. More than a quarter (2,500) of these hydropower projects are situated in protected areas, mainly in national parks and Natura 2000 sites.

© FLUVIUS, commandé par le WWF, Riverwatch, EuroNatur, GEOTA
Les rivières d’Europe sont minées ! La carte montre les centrales hydroélectriques existantes et prévues sur le continent. L’un des foyers géographiques: les Balkans.

The study was commissioned by EuroNatur, Riverwatch, WWF, and GEOTA. Its findings highlight the failure of governments both within and outside the EU to protect rivers and biodiversity, and document plain disregard of EU water protection legislation, in particular the Water Framework Directive.

“We are facing the end of free-flowing rivers in Europe and a collapse of biodiversity if we do not stop this hydropower madness. The EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen and the national governments have to stop this expansion. Above all, they must put an end to subsidies for hydropower and improve river protection. It is unacceptable that our electricity bill finances hydropower investors and thus the destruction of Europe’s lifelines,” says Ulrich Eichelmann of Riverwatch.

A small hydroelectric power plant on the Ugar River near Knezevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina© Amel Emric
Small hydropower plant Ugar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many of the planned hydropower plants are so-called small hydropower plants, however, their damage to nature is anything but small.
At this river, the globally endangered Huchen has lost its spawning ground.

“The largest number of hydropower plants – more than 3,000 – is planned to be constructed in the Balkans. Most of these rivers are still intact, some even untouched. They are a European treasure that we cannot afford to lose. We urge the European Union to address these developments in the accession negotiations and to insist on compliance with nature conservation legislation. In the Balkans, there is excessive investment in hydropower, while the potential for solar power – a truly renewable energy source – remains largely untapped,” says EuroNatur CEO Gabriel Schwaderer.

Hydropower dams destroy rivers and their surroundings, and they substantially contribute to biodiversity loss. They interrupt the natural flow of the river, block fish migration – affecting fish stocks and the survival of endangered species – and intercept sediments that protect river banks and deltas from flooding and rising sea levels. Local communities are literally being dried up. In addition, over 90 percent of the planned hydroelectric power plants generate only small amounts of electricity (less than 10 MW), i.e. they are so-called ‘small’ hydropower plants that cause great damage to nature with little economic benefit.

 

© Amel Emric
The Jadar dam in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Steven Weiss, Assoc. Univ.-Prof. Uni Graz, emphasizes the devastating effects of hydropower: “Based on extrapolations from my more detailed study on the Balkans, as well as the IUCN red list, we can predict that at least 20 and perhaps up to 30 freshwater fish species would go extinct if all of these plans would be carried out. Furthermore, a large percentage (> 95%) of the southern European fish fauna would be placed in an IUCN threat category. We must understand that the already high demand for water resources, especially in southern Europe will be exacerbated by such large-scale hydropower exploitation, resulting in a deadly combination for freshwater biodiversity.”

In order to tackle freshwater biodiversity loss, we demand from all European countries and the EU

  • a Blue New Deal for European Rivers
  • no more subsidies
  • better protection of valuable river stretches
  • a new pan-European river restoration program

Background information

  • Download the FULL REPORT and the SUMMARY REPORT
  • Campaign to save the Balkan rivers: Around 3000 new hydropower plants are currently planned or under construction between Slovenia and Albania. The nature conservation organisations EuroNatur and Riverwatch as well as local partners in the Balkan countries run the campaign ‘Save the Blue Heart of Europe’ to counter this wave of destruction.
  • Footage: The pictures enclosed are free for one-time use in the context of this press release on the condition of credit attribution.

Contact information
Anja Arning
Head of Public Relations, Euronatur
E-mail: anja.arning(a)euronatur.org

Ulrich Eichelmann
CEO, Riverwatch
E-mail: ulrich.eichelmann(a)riverwatch.eu

 

German Fisheries Federation and 23 other German, French and Swiss organisations are calling for a reconsideration of net fishing before the Rhine estuary

On 19.11.2019, a delegation from the German Fisheries  – The Deutscher Angelfischerverband e.V,  submitted a petition to the Dutch Parliament in The Hague.

The petition calls for a rethink of commercial net fishing at the Haringvliet dam at the mouth of the Rhine. After their confluence, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Merwede de Nieuwe reach the North Sea via the Haringvliet. The Haringvliet Dam is the largest tidal barrier in Europe. The Haringvliet locks have been open in places since autumn 2018, improving the continuity of migratory fish.

With the opening of the Haringvliet part of a common master plan of the countries bordering the Rhine was carried out, so that the fish can migrate freely. In this context, however, it was certainly not anticipated that they would migrate directly into the nets or cages in front of the estuary.

Millions of euros have already been invested to restore ecological continuity across the Rhine. In Germany, France and Switzerland, there are many programmes for the reintroduction of migratory fish into the Rhine, such as salmon and sea trout.

In addition, passing through the estuary; fish need to get used to the transition from fresh water to salt water. A sensitive process that takes some time, because the body of the fish has to change to do so. Thus, net fishing at this hotspot hinders the protection of fish and thus the success of reintroduction projects.

Germany’s petition received a wide response from the press in Holland. For example, Dutch public television MPO1 reported extensively on the petition in the Evening News (NOS-Journal). The Dutch Parliament will consider the petition and next steps in Harlingvliet in the Fisheries Commission on 5 December 2019.

More infos

Presse release : Conference ” Selune Valley Revival” success on all fronts !

Communiqué de presse du 20 octobre 2019

download press release (in french only)

Du 24 au 26 septembre 2019,s’est tenu à Rennes et à Avranches le 5ème colloque international sur la restauration de la continuité écologique des cours d’eau et les effacements de barrages. L’excellent accueil des partenaires locaux, des services de l’Etat, mais aussi des différents prestataires a permis à tous d’apprécier, en plus des conférences, la gastronomie et les paysages locaux. European Rivers Network les remercie encore vivement.

Cet évènement réussi a suscité l’intérêt d’un large public démontré par le nombre et la diversité d’acteurs présents (plus de 200 participants de 20 pays différents, acteurs locaux ou nationaux, élus, services de l’Etat, gestionnaires, entreprises privées, associations).

Afin qu’un plus large public bénéficie des débats du colloque, European Rivers Network a mis en ligne l’ensemble des 26 présentations,en français et en anglais,depuis la page internet du colloque sur www.ern.org. Par ailleurs, ERN étudie, avec ses partenaires,la possibilité d’offrir une restitution synthétique et grand public du colloque, sous une forme qui reste à définir.

Pour les participants,l’évènement a tenu ses promesses, les échanges ont été très riches. Le colloque a notamment permis de motiver les acteurs qui travaillent avec engagement pour restaurer la qualité des rivières, de faire connaître et vivre leur réseau, de partager des retours d’expériences français et internationaux,utiles pour de futurs projets et de prendre conscience de l’impact sociologique de l’arasement d’un grand barrage.L’excellence technique d’un tel projet doit se doubler d’une véritable«ingénierie sociale», c’est-à-dire d’une réelle concertation locale, allant bien au-delà de l’enquête publique.

«Au-delà du «pour» ou «contre» le projet d’arasement de la Sélune, ce sont les échanges, les leçons apprises durant le colloque et les appels à l’apaisement et à la concertation qui doivent être retenus et entendus. Le pourquoi de l’enlèvement des barrages, nécessaire pour l’intérêt collectif, mais mal compris, ne doit pas continuer de bloquer les volontés d’avancer et les initiatives déjà nombreuses sur le territoire.Le projet de la Sélune est unique d’un point de vue technique et scientifique:nous souhaitons pour ce magnifique territoire que l’intelligence collective fasse émerger un projet d’avenir porté localement sur la Sélune libre.»dit Roberto Epple,Président-fondateur d’ERN.

Ce colloque aura aussi montré que la Sélune n’est pas un cas isolé, que partout en Europe et au-delà, depuis 20 ans, des acteurs relèvent avec succès le défi fou de restaurer les habitats de nos derniers poissons migrateurs, nos vallées et la qualité de l’eau pour tous les usagers.Le prochain colloque sur la continuité écologique et les effacements de barrages aura lieu en Allemagne (Bavière) au Printemps 2020.

A new guideline on Hydroelectric Power Development by the European Investment Bank

 

The European Investment Bank has just published a guideline ” Environmental, Climate and Social Guidelines on Hydropower Development”.
It set out the EIB’s objectives for investments in hydropower projects, establishing sector-specific standards and criteria, which promoters should meet.

They also summarise best practice recommendations for integrating social, biodiversity, natural resource management and climate considerations into hydropower projects.

They have been written for use by hydropower promoters, who should take the requirements and recommendations into account from the early stages of the project development cycle, preferably during the pre-feasibility stage. The guidelines will also serve as a reference for other stakeholders with interests in hydropower projects.

It is stipulated that EIB (and where appropriate its financial intermediaries) will treat potential hydropower investments on a case-by-case basis, assessing the features of the project and information on the biophysical and socioeconomic context within which the project would be constructed,rehabilitated or refurbished, and subsequently when it is operational and,if appropriate, ultimately decommissioned. EIB will promote best practice mitigation of environmental and social impacts and risks.

> Read the environmental-climate-and-social-guidelines-on-hydropower-development

Euronatur Awards 2019 to the Brave Women of Kruščica (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

It is with great emotion that our President, R. Epple, who received the Euronatur 2018, handed it over to the admirable women of Kruscica! Photo copyright ERN France

On 10 October, a delegation of the “Brave Women of Kruščica” received the EuroNatur Award 2019 in recognition of the outstanding bravery and tenacity they showed in protecting their river. For over 500 days and nights, a group of women from the village of Kruščica in Bosnia and Herzegovina occupied a bridge over the Kruščica River, thereby preventing the construction of two hydropower plants. The women also defied adverse weather conditions and violent attempts to remove them. (See our last post about if (last january)

“I have huge admiration for the bravery and determination and for the perseverance and solidarity of this community. Their commitment to the protection of their natural resources serves as a model for other groups in the Balkans that are peacefully but resolutely fighting for the preservation of their rivers”, said EuroNatur President Christel Schroeder, explaining the choice of EuroNatur Award winner for 2019.

>>  More info ? Download the full speech 10/10/19 (english)

Ilisu Dam Project (Turkey) : Let’s act now for Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley!

Important message from Hasankeyf Coordination (founded on 5th July 2019 as an umbrella for all fighting the Ilisu Dam):

The Turkish government aims to destroy the 12,000 year old town Hasankeyf and the entire Tigris Valley through the Ilisu Dam project, which only has an economic lifespan of 50 years. We would like to borrow the sentence of a Roman poet “De te fabula narratur” (What is told is your story) and transform it into “What is set to be destroyed is your history”. A site where you can find the footprints of many people of this world is threatened with extinction. The cry rising from Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley is growing daily.

The open air museum of Hasankeyf exhibits the first traces of humans from 300,000 years ago, and of the first human settlements from 12,000 years ago. Hasankeyf is the only historical site in Anatolia and Upper Mesopotamia which could be entirely preserved in its integrity. Hosting at least 24 cultures in its past, Hasankeyf is one of the most distinct examples of how humans transitioned to settled life.

We do not and will not be able to know much about the past of the Tigris River which itself is a living being, and which has created life in its valley for millions of years, but the life created by the waters of the Tigris River is facing inundation by its own waters. The Ilisu Dam, which has been constructed at the Tigris River over the last years, initiated the filling of the dam reservoir in July 2019. If filled completely, aside from Hasankeyf, it would bury 289 archaeological sites, of which only 20 have been excavated partly, 199 villages fully or partly, and the habitat of at least 100 endemic and threatened species. The climate of the region would be affected as well. We, as campaigners and affected people, do not really know the dimension of the cultural and natural heritage.

With its 550 monuments and 5,500 human-made caves determined up to date, Hasankeyf was selected as one of the 7 most endangered cultural heritage sites by Europa Nostra in 2016. Although Hasankeyf has been put under conservation according to Turkish law, no serious effort has been made by the officials to conserve it for the following generations. The former director of the German Archaeology Institute, Prof. Adolf Hoffman, has stated that despite excavations done since 1986 only around 10% of the site of Hasankeyf has been excavated and analyzed.

It is not too late to save the Tigris Valley, home to millions of living beings, from impoundment and destruction as an ecosystem. While some destruction has occured recently, there is much more culture, nature and social structure in the Tigris Valley which could be defended. It is not too late to save 400 kilometres of riverine habitat and all the millions of life existing in this oustanding ecosystem. It is not too late to save 200 settlement sites with a population of up to 80,000 people and their unique ways of life. It is not too late to save the Mesopotamian Marshes in South Iraq, the biggest wetlands of the Middle East.

We would like to thank in advance all those supporting and spreading the urgent cry of Hasankeyf and the Tigris River on behalf of the natural and cultural heritage created over thousands and millions of years in the magnificient Tigris Valley.

It is possible to save the 12,000 year old Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley, which gave and gives life to all of us.

We call upon on everybody to stand for Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley immediately. Now and not later, it is urgent to act!

email: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
Twitter: @HasankeyfKoord and @hasankeyfdicle
Instagram: @hasankeyfkoord
Facebook: @HasankeyfKoord and @hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi
Website in English and Turkish: www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net

Colloque Sélune Rennes

Selune Valley Revival: a successful international conference!

The International Dam removal Conference held from the 24th to the 26th of September, organised by ERN with support from numerous partners was a great success. Participants came from 20 countries and three continents with 30% from the local, Rennes-Avranches region.

The day preceding the conference itself participants and the locals attended a debate “Salmon in our rivers: myth or reality?” organized by Brittany Great Migrators for the International Year of the Salmon.

Interaction was lively and diverse, beginning with a discussion on the importance of ecological continuity for rivers. The presentation of dam removal projects in France and abroad including feedback, has come to remind us that the restoration of ecological continuity is a transcontinental movement affecting all countries. Benefits to the quality of our rivers and territories are very real. Examples presented show just how much French territory profits from a committed, leading policy in this field.

Central to the debates was the Sélune river, with the presentation of work in progress including the first results of the remarkable scientific monitoring program coordinated by INRA, which has taken place over the past fifteen years. This didn’t leave out the sociological issues of dam removal, indeed they were put at the heart of the dialogue via the restitution of the sociological study conducted on the Sélune with strong participation and expressions of their feelings by the association of the Friends of the Dams. Hopefully many positions were understood from all sides.

In summary, a fascinating conference with a lot of ideas exchanged in a pleasant atmosphere, and in the beautiful setting of Rennes and the wonderful bay of Mont Saint Michel and Vallée de Sélune!

Thank big you to all participants, stakeholders, and funding partners for making this event possible.

More infos https://www.ern.org/en/colloque-international-selune/

> Presentations, talks and more informations  

24-26 sept : Seminary “Selune revival” : great success !

From Septemebr 24-26  will be held a International seminary on the large scale damremoval and the revival of the Sélune Valey in Rennes/Avranches (Mont aint Michel) ; It is the 5th international symposium on the restoration of ecological continuity of rivers!
The conference, will bring together 200 people from 20 different countries as well as from the Sélune River region … !!

> more informations about the event and the organisation

> Read Press Release (French Only)