Following World Fish Migration Day, 150 NGOs have joined forces to call on the EU institutions to stop public funding of new hydropower projects in Europe. Building more hydropower is contrary to the biodiversity goals of the European Green Deal, as new power plants would only make a small contribution to the energy transition, weighted by the environmental damage they cause. NGOs call for public investment to be redirected towards upgrading existing plants, energy efficiency measures and less polluting renewable energy alternatives such as wind and solar power.

The mobilisation by NGOs comes a few months after new analysis showed that 93% of Europe's freshwater migratory fish have been lost since 1970, partly due to hydropower. While 91% of existing and planned plants in Europe are considered "small" - meaning they have a capacity of less than 10MW - and contribute little to the energy mix, their environmental impact is dramatic. If built, these plants will destroy Europe's last free-flowing rivers and further degrade increasingly fragile freshwater ecosystems.

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Category: Campaigns

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Published: 18 February 2022

Online-Seminar of the WG Water of the German Forum Environment and Development in Cooperation with the European Water Forum and other Partners

The Human Right to Water, Water Grabbing and Protection of Rivers

Tuesday, 22^nd February 2022 – from 14h to 16h CET Online

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Category: Events

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Published: 17 February 2022

The Water Framework Directive in practice

Factsheets on WFD Implementation

This page is in process.

The factsheets are grouped by their focus:

• Public participation
• Wet buffer zones (see below)
• Rainwater Management
• Paludiculture
• Floodplain Development
• Water pricing
• Water structure improvement (see below)
• Water maintenance
• Landscape water balance (see below)
• Reduction of diffuse nutrient inputs (see below)

Here you will find all factsheets at a glance.

• Public participation
  1. Microplastics in our water (2019)
• Wet buffer zones
  1. Natural Climate Buffers in the Netherlands (2019)
  2. Intelligent Buffer Zones (2019)
• Rainwater Management
  1. Stormwater Management in Urban Areas (2019)
• Paludiculture
  1. Rewetting and farming degraded peatlands (2019)
• Floodplain development
  1. North Rhine-Westphalia Floodplain Program
• Water pricing
  1. Application of Water-Taxes in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein (Germany)
• Water structure improvement
  1. Bristled Fish Pass
  2. River System Project Ruwer
• Water maintenance
  1. In-Stream-Restoration
• Landscape water balance / Marsh protection
  1. Large-scale Conservation Project Uckermärkische Lakes
  2. Black Alder Afforestation on Restored Fens in the Trebel Valley
  3. Improving Landscape Water Management in the Stechlin Lake Area
• Reduction of diffuse nutrient inputs
  1. Wetland rehabilitation: The benefits of green filter in Albufera (2019)
  2. Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems, Wetlands and Buffer Zones within an intensive Farming Area in the Po Valley (2019)
  3. Water Friendly Farming in Leipzig`s Water Protection Zone

For questions and suggestions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Category: Fact Sheets

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Published: 17 February 2022

EU BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY 2030:

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en

WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (WFD):

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/info/intro_en.htm

BIRDS AND HABITATS DIRECTIVE (BHD):

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/birds-directive_en

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/habitats-directive_en

NATURA 2000:

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm

MARINE STRATEGY FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (MSFD):

https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/environment/oceans-and-seas/eu-marine-strategy-framework-directive_en

DRINKING WATER DIRECTIVE:

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/legislation_en.html

UNITED NATIONS DECADES FOR ECOSYSTEMS RESTORATION (2021-2030):

https://www.fao.org/3/cb6591en/cb6591en.pdf

EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

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Category: Laws

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Published: 17 February 2022

Water Protection in Context of the Water Framework Directive

Public Participation in Forming a Management Plan for Water

Europe's Water is an Imminent Concern

Reaching good, healthy conditions in most German rivers will only be possible through various and extensive measures. To the level of necessity of these measures is clarified by a survey taken in 2005, which gives a tentative estimate: at most 60% of water bodies in Germany fail to meet good status. Deficits within the morphologic structures of water bodies and eutrophication are among the leading causes of poor water quality.

Key steps:

• Improvement of the hydromorphology and restoration of habitats
• Assurance of biological permeability
• Natural development of floodplains
• Reduction of nutrient inflow, especially from agriculture
• Reduction of toxin inflow

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Category: WFD Introduction

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Published: 17 February 2022

We have been active for many years in water protection together with other associations and initiatives.

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Category: Water

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Published: 17 February 2022