Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview
Most of Europe’s rivers are highly fragmented by barriers. This study examines legal protection schemes, that specifically aim at preserving the free-flowing character of rivers. Based on national legislation, such schemes are found in seven European countries: Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, France and...
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MDPI AG
2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116423 https://doaj.org/article/920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e 2023-05-15T16:50:26+02:00 Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview Tobias Schäfer 2021-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116423 https://doaj.org/article/920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6423 https://doaj.org/toc/2071-1050 doi:10.3390/su13116423 2071-1050 https://doaj.org/article/920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 6423, p 6423 (2021) free-flowing rivers strict protection protected areas legal river protection schemes river nature reserves dam removal Environmental effects of industries and plants TD194-195 Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116423 2022-12-31T09:44:30Z Most of Europe’s rivers are highly fragmented by barriers. This study examines legal protection schemes, that specifically aim at preserving the free-flowing character of rivers. Based on national legislation, such schemes are found in seven European countries: Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, France and Spain as well as Norway and Iceland. The study provides an overview of the individual schemes and their respective scope, compares their protection mechanisms and assesses their effectiveness. As Europe’s the remaining free-flowing rivers are threatened by hydropower and other development, the need for effective legal protection, comparable to the designation of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States, is urgent. Similarly, any ambitious strategy for the restoration of free-flowing rivers should be complemented with a mechanism for their permanent protection once dams and other barriers are removed. The investigated legal protection schemes constitute a starting point for envisioning a more cohesive European network of strictly protected free-flowing rivers. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Norway Sustainability 13 11 6423 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
free-flowing rivers strict protection protected areas legal river protection schemes river nature reserves dam removal Environmental effects of industries and plants TD194-195 Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
spellingShingle |
free-flowing rivers strict protection protected areas legal river protection schemes river nature reserves dam removal Environmental effects of industries and plants TD194-195 Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Tobias Schäfer Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
topic_facet |
free-flowing rivers strict protection protected areas legal river protection schemes river nature reserves dam removal Environmental effects of industries and plants TD194-195 Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
Most of Europe’s rivers are highly fragmented by barriers. This study examines legal protection schemes, that specifically aim at preserving the free-flowing character of rivers. Based on national legislation, such schemes are found in seven European countries: Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, France and Spain as well as Norway and Iceland. The study provides an overview of the individual schemes and their respective scope, compares their protection mechanisms and assesses their effectiveness. As Europe’s the remaining free-flowing rivers are threatened by hydropower and other development, the need for effective legal protection, comparable to the designation of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States, is urgent. Similarly, any ambitious strategy for the restoration of free-flowing rivers should be complemented with a mechanism for their permanent protection once dams and other barriers are removed. The investigated legal protection schemes constitute a starting point for envisioning a more cohesive European network of strictly protected free-flowing rivers. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tobias Schäfer |
author_facet |
Tobias Schäfer |
author_sort |
Tobias Schäfer |
title |
Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
title_short |
Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
title_full |
Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
title_fullStr |
Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
title_full_unstemmed |
Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview |
title_sort |
legal protection schemes for free-flowing rivers in europe: an overview |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116423 https://doaj.org/article/920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e |
geographic |
Norway |
geographic_facet |
Norway |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 6423, p 6423 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6423 https://doaj.org/toc/2071-1050 doi:10.3390/su13116423 2071-1050 https://doaj.org/article/920a389b73584beaafbb44d9eb48d61e |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116423 |
container_title |
Sustainability |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
6423 |
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1766040576350748672 |