US EditionBalkan Wild Rivers in Steady Decline: Study
Nearly 2,500 km of pristine Balkan rivers lost since 2012 due to hydropower and river engineering, with only 23% of large rivers remaining nearly natural, NGOs report.
- Researchers led by Ulrich Schwarz concluded that nearly 2,500 kilometres of near-natural rivers were lost across the Balkans, with the share falling from 30% in 2012 to 23% in 2025, based on an assessment of 83,824 kilometres in 11 countries.
- Hydropower expansion led to pressure on rivers, with around 1,800 small hydropower plants existing and more than 3,000 planned projects, plus gravel extraction and infrastructure works.
- Albania recorded the steepest decline, with near-natural stretches dropping from 68% in 2012 to 40% in 2025, while Bosnia & Herzegovina's pristine rivers fell 23%, and major losses occurred in the Drina, Neretva, Vardar/Axios, Devoll, and Drin basins.
- Legal victories and protected areas have preserved nearly 900 kilometres of rivers, while Albania's Vjosa Wild River National Park blocked nearly 40 dams and Bosnia's Federation Law halted about 116 hydropower projects.
- Report authors warned river impoundments increased by 18% since 2012, clashing with EU accession environmental standards, and EuroNatur and Riverwatch urged urgent national and EU action.
21 Articles
21 Articles
In recent years, large parts of the Balkan rivers have either completely disappeared or are seriously endangered due to the construction of hydropower plants, dams and the exploitation of river sediment, warns a study whose findings were published by the non-governmental organizations Riverwatch and EuroNatur, Sarajevo's "Avaz" reports.
The Balkans host some of Europe's cleanest rivers and forests, crucial to the biodiversity of the continent, but they are increasingly threatened by a wave of infrastructure projects.
Daily Journal
Balkan wild rivers in steady decline: study
Thousands of kilometres of Balkan rivers have been damaged in recent years, a study published Wednesday found, as hydropower development, dams and sediment extraction drive a "steady erosion" of some of Europe's last pristine waterways.
The Balkans host some of Europe's most clean and wild rivers
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