Balkan Dam Projects Could Result in Loss of One in 10 European Fish Species

Nearly one in 10 of Europe’s fish species will be pushed to the brink of extinction by a constellation of hydropower plants planned in the western Balkans, new research has found.

Eleven endemic species would be wiped out, seven more would be critically endangered, four types of sturgeon would be devastated and the number of endangered species would double to 24, according to the University of Graz report.

Tara Mountain and River, Serbia, Source: Wikimedia Commons, Labeled for Reuse

Prof Steven Weiss, the paper’s author, told the Guardian: “It is the largest systematic construction plan with negative environmental impacts that I know of, since world war two.”

Altogether, the analysis finds that 49 of Europe’s 531 freshwater species would face either extinction or the loss of 50-100% of their Balkan distribution.

Weiss said: “The high density of what is being planned affects everything in the region. It transforms whole river systems into a series of reservoirs that need to be flushed. It breaks up migration corridors, and drains and isolates wetlands that have a dramatic effect on birds. There is a whole chain reaction.”

The 11 fish populations most at risk are: Cobitis jadovaensis; Alburnus vistonicus; Delminichthys jadovensis; Delminichthys krbavensis; Phoxinellus dalmaticus; Telestes polylepis; Telestes turskyi; Telestes ukliva; Knipowitschia mrakovcici; Eudontomyzon hellenicus and Zingel balcanicus.

Read full article: The Guardian

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• Ecosystem Management
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