A report found that Europe demolished 542 river-choked dams, weirs, culverts and sinks in 2024, which helped record-breaking waterways restore their natural routes.

According to the annual report on European dam removal, the number of disassembly increased by 11% from the previous year.

It found that 23 countries had evacuated river barriers last year, with four of them - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Türkiye - doing so for the first time.

WWF Netherlands CEO Jelle de Jong said the rise of evacuation shows that communities and governments are increasingly seeing the benefits of reconnecting and restoring rivers.

“Healthy, free-flowing rivers are central to adapting to climate crisis and enhancing biodiversity, but Europe’s rivers are the most dispersed in the world,” he said. “We need to continue to expand the demolition of small principal dams that block rivers every year and set new records.”

Europe's waterways were fragmented by 1.2 million obstacles, thousands of which were considered ancient and obsolete. Ecologists believe that river blockages observed since 1970 are an important driver of the 75% decline in freshwater migratory fish populations on the continent.

The report found that Finland eliminated the biggest obstacle, with a total of 138 evacuations, followed by France 128, Spain 96, Sweden 45, and Britain 28.

Partially restored rivers include Giovanco, Italy, where five demolitions have allowed the river to run seven miles (11 km) for the first time in decades. The roaring and progressive catchment area in Belgium, where 11 inevitable culverts were replaced by bridges to protect pearl mussels, which are under serious threat in the EU. As well as tornadoes in Sweden and Finland, nearly 400 obstacles were removed in the Swiss-sized watershed.

Researchers from European dam demolition, a coalition of environmental groups working to restore the state of rivers and streams, said the lack of a centralized database means their numbers may underestimate the number of river barriers being demolished.

The report said culverts and weirs were more likely to be old and outdated, accounting for 90% of the barriers to removal. It found that 65% of the obstacles were 2 meters high, making it cheaper and easier to remove than larger structures.

The EU has pledged to restore 25,000 kilometers of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030 after passing a fierce law to restore nature. Member States must reach an action plan by mid-2026 outlining how they will achieve their goals.

A study published in the journal Nature in 2020 found that there are no catchments in Europe without artificial barriers and hydropower dams are planned in a few relatively unfallen rivers. The researchers concluded that achieving the goal of river restoration will require a “parameter shift” to recognize the widespread impact of small obstacles on ecosystems.