WWF Annual Review 2021 - 33

KEEPING RIVERS FREE FLOWING
This year brought big wins in our European
campaigns to halt harmful hydropower
development. With our partners, we stopped
plans for a dam on the Vjosa River in Albania,
one of Europe's last wild rivers. Montenegro
banned small hydropower plants, while BosniaHerzegovina
is phasing out subsidies. In Poland
the Minister of Climate and Environment
revoked a permit for a dam on the Vistula - one
of the largest and potentially most damaging
dams planned in Europe. As well as stopping
dams, we're helping to remove them. The largest
dam removal in Finland is under way, co-funded
by WWF, while the second largest in France
is also progressing, and WWF crowdfunding
paid for the removal of barriers in Germany,
Slovakia, the UK and Ukraine. Hopes are high
that 2021 will beat the record 101 dams and
barriers removed across Europe in 2020.
NEW PROTECTED AREAS
We helped secure the official designation of
the first five-nation UNESCO biosphere reserve
in the " Amazon of Europe " , as well as protection
under the Ramsar Convention for wetlands
in China, Georgia, India and Tunisia. We
also helped win World Heritage site status for
the Colchic wetlands in Georgia - home to
five species of endangered sturgeon - and
the Getbol tidal flats in the Republic of Korea.
LEGAL REMEDIES
Our work influenced China's historic Yangtze
River Law, which will enhance the health of the
river. WWF complaints led to the EU Court of
Justice ruling against Spain over degradation of
the Doñana wetlands, and metals and mining
company Nornickel paying a record €1.62 billion
fine for polluting Siberian rivers.
NO LONGER FORGOTTEN
Our report on freshwater fish - The World's
Forgotten Fishes - received widespread
international coverage. Produced in partnership
with 16 other conservation organizations,
it explored their remarkable diversity and
importance to communities, as well as threats
and solutions. We also raised the profile
of inland fisheries, which were
highlighted at the UN Food
Systems Summit.
River Mura is in
the first ever
five-nation UNESCO
biosphere reserve.
33
© Matevž Lenarčič

https://www.ramsar.org/news/seven-new-wetlands-of-international-importance-for-china https://www.ramsar.org/news/tunisia-designates-garaa-sejenane https://www.ramsar.org/news/georgia-designates-two-high-altitude-lakes?fbclid=IwAR0gjbb0JGrx8lR-hephZwFUfx9tCBuzm7C_hEiWKx85vEa9PEJkOYEs0LQ https://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/feature_stories/asan_conservation_reserve/ https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_news/?3287941/Global-protection-for-Colchic-Wetlands-in-Georgia https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1591/ https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_news/?1197466/Major-New-Year-boost-for-Yangtze-river https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_news/?1197466/Major-New-Year-boost-for-Yangtze-river https://www.wwf.eu/?3877416/EU-court-rules-Spain-at-fault-over-degradation-of-Donana https://www.wwf.eu/?3877416/EU-court-rules-Spain-at-fault-over-degradation-of-Donana https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_news/?1482466/Worlds-forgotten-fishes-vital-for-hundreds-of-millions-of-people-but-one-third-face-extinction-warns-new-report https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/freshwater_news/?1482466/Worlds-forgotten-fishes-vital-for-hundreds-of-millions-of-people-but-one-third-face-extinction-warns-new-report

WWF Annual Review 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WWF Annual Review 2021