Liberating Rivers

Freeing waterways of the Nordic Taiga

Liberating Rivers

Freeing waterways of the Nordic Taiga

Background to the initiative

In Sweden’s Nordic Taiga, forestry has long shaped both the landscape and its rivers. From the 19th century through much of the 20th, before forest roads were widely developed, waterways served as transport routes for logs to coastal sawmills. Rivers were straightened, boulders removed or blasted with dynamite, and natural obstacles cleared to ease timber floating. Logging first targeted forests along main rivers, and as these were exhausted, both channelisation and harvesting extended into tributaries and small streams. To make these minor waterways suitable for log driving, thousands of small dams were built to store snowmelt water, which was then released during spring to create short bursts of higher flow. Although timber floating has long ceased, many of these obsolete dams remain – fragmenting river systems and blocking the movement of fish, aquatic insects, sediment, organic matter, nutrients, and seeds. Later, additional dams were built for hydropower. While Sweden’s largest facilities play a role in energy production, over 90% of the country’s hydropower dams are small and contribute minimally. Many are no longer in use. Compounding the problem of river fragmentation, road culverts were installed without ecological consideration – often too narrow or elevated – creating thousands of additional barriers to aquatic connectivity.

Rewilding Sweden’s initiative Liberating Rivers focuses on removing these barriers and restoring natural flow dynamics in boreal catchments. Reconnected rivers improve habitat, species migration, and ecosystem functions – revitalising biodiversity and resilience in the living waterscapes of the Nordic Taiga.

Funding: Open Rivers Programme, County Administrative Board of Västerbotten
Collaborating organisations: Vindel River Fishery Council




Prerequisites and rewilding approach

The challenge

The legacy of river alteration from the timber floating days continues to fragment ecosystems. Small streams and tributaries were dammed for over a century to allow timber floating – impounding snowmelt that was released in pulses to float timber. Though this practice ended long ago, numerous dams remain. They block fish migration, dispersal of aquatic insects, and the natural flow of water, seeds, sediment, and nutrients. Deprived of their dynamic processes, these rivers are no longer able to support abundant life. Small-scale hydropower later added additional fragmentation for modest energy benefit.

The structures are currently largely passive but remain detrimental. To them, poorly designed road culverts – either undersized or hanging over the stream bed – are thousands of additional barriers. Taken together, these remnants of past land use degrade river ecosystems, deterring free-flowing regimes under which healthy habitats in the Nordic Taiga flourish.

The solution

Dam/barrier removal

In close dialogue with landowners and permitting authorities, we plan each removal process with care. Before any work begins, we engage consultants to conduct cultural heritage assessments and, when necessary, bring in technical specialists to investigate structural conditions and potential risks. Removing a barrier allows the river to begin functioning naturally again. It enables migratory fish to reach critical upstream spawning grounds and helps restore the dynamic processes that shape riverine communities downstream.

So far, we have removed four dams, with five more scheduled for removal in 2025. Several additional sites are currently under assessment and being prepared for future removal.

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