Slovakia’s New Barrier Removal Guideline!
We’re excited to launch the new Guideline on How to Remove River Barriers in Slovakia, a practical roadmap for restoring free-flowing rivers and reconnecting nature and people!
Across Slovakia, many rivers remain fragmented by obsolete barriers that disrupt fish migration, sediment transport, and the natural dynamics of river systems. This new guideline is designed to support practitioners, organisations, public authorities, and local communities working to restore river connectivity and healthier freshwater ecosystems.
Rather than focusing solely on technical removal methods, the guide takes a holistic, step-by-step approach to the full barrier removal journey, from the initial idea and site selection to planning, permitting, implementation, monitoring, communication, and scaling up successful actions.
The Slovak guideline was developed with support from WWF Slovakia, whose pioneering work includes the removal of a barrier on the River Hučava and ongoing plans for removals on the Hron and Ipeľ rivers. Their experience is helping build momentum for river restoration across the region and offers an inspiring example for others working to bring rivers back to life.
Hron River © WWF Slovakia
Read the full report here!