9 minute read
The Fight for Europe’s Last Wild Rivers Continues
INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN WEISS
The Dam Tsunami in the Balkan region, which involves more than 3000 projected dam constructions, is still set to lay a vast number of pristine rivers in ruin. It has, however, lost a bit of momentum. NGO’s such as RiverWatch, EuroNatur and Balkan River Defence have mobilized against the EU, the banks, the entrepreneurs and other profiteers involved in the hydropower-axis, and with the aid of charities, donations, crowd funding and the unyielding help of passionate volunteers and activists, some progress has been made. But is it too late and too little?
Steven Weiss works at the Graz University in Austria and has recently done a new study on the conservational status of the Balkan fish species and the threats posed by the projected hydropower plants in the region. We’ve hooked up with Steve to have a chat about the report, the future of the Balkan rivers and the ongoing work to protect them from irreversible harm.
Can you please tell us a bit about your background and how you’ve gotten involved in RiverWatch?
I have been interested in rivers and fish since childhood as we were a bit of an angling family. My interest in trout began in my teenage years with family vacations to the Catskill Mountains in New York State (USA). From there, as a young adult, I became interested in conservation work related to NGO’s, which then further led to my University studies in ecology.
In Austria, where I have been living since 1994, my research and teaching focus has been on river ecology, freshwater fisheries and the evolution of salmonid fishes (trout, salmon, grayling, etc). During my time in Austria I have witnessed an explosion of hydropower expansion and the continuous degradation of rivers in general.
As my research activities spread to other countries, I noticed the same trend, especially on the Balkan Peninsula. Finally, my expertise was called for during a battle over a dam right here in my home city, Graz, Austria. It was through my involvement in a local citizen’s movement here in Graz that NGOs became aware of my interest in- and commitment to river conservation. I started serving as a scientific advisor or spokesperson at various press conferences and other media-based activities for a number of organizations, including RiverWatch. I co-authored one study for RiverWatch on the Danube salmon and eventually was contracted to conduct a study on endangered fish species in Balkan rivers.
You’ve recently done a new survey on the conservational status of the Balkan fish species. What are the most important findings in that survey?
Firstly, the study showed that nearly all of the river fish that live only in the Balkans (i.e. the endemic species) will either lose a large portion of their habitat or even become threatened by extinction if all of the planned projects are carried out. Species that are currently endangered will likely go extinct, while many others will become endangered based on IUCN criteria.
We also showed that a handful of priority projects are planned in the most beautiful and biologically rich river reaches of the region, including those containing the largest remaining habitats for Danube salmon left in Europe.
“The habitats are disappearing faster than we are able to properly describe them”
In some cases, projects will negatively impact National Parks and Nature Protection Areas, which were specifically created, decades ago, to protect rivers and their wildlife.
What can you tell us about the current status of the endemic trout species of the Balkan region?
The Balkan region is the global diversity hotspot for trout, and probably the region where trout (i.e. genus Salmo) first evolved. Some of the most unique species, the softmouth trout, for example, are already endangered, and exist in only four river systems, the largest of which (the Neretva River, in Bosnia-Herzegovina) is threatened by a large EU-backed project. For other species, we are still trying to learn about their behavior, their distribution and other aspects of their biology, but their habitats are disappearing faster than we are able to properly describe them.
What are the biggest threats to the trout species in the Balkan region?
Trout in the Balkan region are primarily threatened by measures that destroy their habitat, including water abstraction, river channel regulation, gravel extraction and hydropower expansion. Of these, hydropower expansion is the threat that is increasing most intensely, throughout the mountainous regions of the Balkans where trout live. This increases the conflicts concerning water use in general, and overall demand for water is becoming more intense with the changing climate. Regions from Croatia and further south to northern Greece are predicted to lose up to 40% of their annual rainfall over the next decades – this trend combined with hydropower expansion will drive trout as well as other stream fish populations to widespread extinction.
There are lots of dam constructions projected in the Balkan region. Can you tell us a bit about the current status and what the implications of these dam constructions are – if they’re not stopped?
There is a large number of small to medium scale projects already in construction. Some of the largest and most damaging projects are in the initial stages of the permitting process or in some cases have been politically approved, but not yet begun. A handful of projects have been initially stopped, as some funding sources have pulled back due to pressure, for example, from the IUCN for projects in the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia. But even here, the state government wishes to proceed if they can find alternative funding.
Most alarmingly, the European Commission has stated their support for a number of the most damaging and controversial projects that we can imagine, despite several years of concerted effort by various NGOs to work with the Commission in order to find compromises or more scientifically based planning. If these plans are carried out, I view it as the most systematic, rapid and widespread destruction of aquatic habitats on European soil during the post-war era.
In addition to the direct effects on fish populations, I have tried in my study to outline a number of long-term concerns dealing with various costs down the road, such as water-use conflicts, large-scale erosion and infrastructure instability.
You’re part of RiverWatch – an NGO aimed at protecting Europe’s last wild river and their fish stocks. What has happened over the course of the last year?
I support RiverWatch together with EuroNatur through consultations and media-related activities, voluntarily, and occasionally through a contracted study. I have watched them invest a great deal of energy into reaching out to the scientific community for advice, insights and additional knowledge and information, and they have continuously spread this information and their concerns directly to local governments, local NGOs, the IUCN and directly to the European Commission.
Several campaigns have been initiated over the last year in order to raise awareness and engage with decision makers in the EU. Has any progress been made?
Starting from near zero, there has been a great deal of success in building a network of interested organizations as well as activists. There has been increasing media attention at the international scale and where local interests are strong – for instance along rivers with an established tourism industry or fishery.
Occasionally, such as in the Mavrovo National Park, we have been able to convince the IUCN that the core goals of a National Park are under threat, and their acceptance of this resulted in the withdrawal of international funding for the projects.
Overall, however, there is tremendous frustration due to the lack of success at the European level, as the commitment of the European Commission to broadscale environmental protection seems to further erode.
Hydropower has been deemed green energy by the EU. RiverWatch obviously disagrees. What is it about dams that is so destructive?
One could start with the simple notion that there is no such thing as “green” energy. There is a range of options and technologies, and all have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the scale and local needs and conditions.
In academic literature, hydropower is viewed as the most environmentally destructive form of renewable energy. Primarily this is due to the direct physical destruction of aquatic habitats. But, to put it more simply, the rivers themselves are not renewable. Additionally, dams promote the spread of alien species (a major driver of extinction rates in freshwater habitats); they fragment the landscape, even for terrestrial species.
At a larger-scale, over periods of decades, networks of dams lead to changes in the local availability of surface and groundwater supplies, the natural movement of sediments, and the stability of river banks, roads, and bridges due to the deepening of river channels.
Most of these processes are relatively well-described and understood from other regions, where dams have existed for centuries.
What are the most important factors in influencing and reversing the trends in the Balkan region?
It is important to understand that we do not have an energy crisis, we have an environmental crisis. The major factors promoting these projects are financial (international investors favor centralized development with large-infrastructure) and political – in that decision makers at the highest levels have become deaf to local environmental- and socio-economic needs, and instead primarily promote large-scale industrial interests.
The overall degradation of democratic processes in connection with fear of political instability also erode both the confidence and interest of higher-level decision makers in making decisions that may very well benefit local communities, or long-term regional interest but do not serve the immediate interests of the financial and industrial lobby.
What can people in the fly-fishing community do to help save the Balkan fish populations?
Without a doubt, the fly-fishing community can help if better mobilized – to raise awareness both for the general public and up to the European Commission, but also for local communities. The best defense against river destruction is local community interest and that is usually based on a well-established local tourism industry centered, for example, on fishing, rafting, sight-seeing, etc.
It is no secret that some of the top, or bestknown fly-fishing destinations, in the Balkans are already providing the best wall of defense, as local politicians cannot completely ignore the community’s interest. Unfortunately, many of these beautiful rivers do not have such well-developed infrastructure or a history of international tourism.
Most recently, some fisheries in Montenegro, for example, have rapidly developed their connection to the international fly-fishing community, and these developments are providing an unexpected (for local politicians) form of resistance. It is not the solution for every river, but where the potential exists, it should be explored. Every individual voice can help, but we also need to explore some more concerted efforts with the fishing community.
