Our rivers have barriers - they are disconnected from the sea. Weirs, small hydropower or big dams provide water, irrigation, energy production, and flood protection. But barriers block rivers, fragment waterways, isolate habitats and weaken wildlife populations. In just 3 years, AMBER delivered the first Atlas of river barriers across Europe.

Below is a brief translation from this news article; the original online edition (3rd February 2020) can be found here.

"Because the authors only look at the effect of large dams, they underestimate the actual extent of the fragmentation, reacts Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, professor of aquatic life sciences at the University of Swansea. If data on small dams are included in the overview, it will appear that the degree of fragmentation is greater. "We also have to watch out for small dams." Despite the "inevitable" limitations, he is positive about the study: "Such a global overview has never been made before."