Are dam removal projects championed by WWF the cause of the devastation from floods in Valencia?

Spain has been actively dismantling dams and weirs in recent years, with a significant focus on removing structures that no longer serve a purpose or are deemed unnecessary.

Spain has led the way in Europe with, for example, 108 dam removals in 2021, a record-breaking year for dam removals across the continent.

It is not only dams that are being removed, but all artificial barriers including flood defences. The problems this policy causes are obvious and we are perhaps seeing the consequences of such bad policies in the recent devastating floods in Spain.

Who is behind these policies and will they be held accountable for the devastation and loss of life in Valencia?

"During the days of Franco, the dictator invested heavily in dam infrastructure as a means of storing water ahead of periods of drought. Many Spanish cities still get their drinking water from reservoirs commissioned by El Caudillo," The Local wrote last year. Francisco Franco , who used torture, murder and incarceration to transform Spanish society, is commonly referred to as El Caudillo (English: "The Leader").

Last year, Despite experiencing a drought with parts of the country restricting water usage and farmers warning that they face the worst harvest in 30 years. "Despite the current government push to swap reservoirs for rivers in Spain, the agricultural sector is calling for more newly built dams that are capable of storing diminishing rainwater supplies they need for irrigation and their livestock," The Local said.

However, the government continued to dismantle dams, citing the need to restore natural river flows and improve water quality; an approach that aligns with the European Union's ("EU") goal to reconnect at least 25,000 km of rivers by 2030, aiming to restore natural habitats and improve biodiversity.

The policy of removing artificial barriers to rivers follows the EU Water Framework Directive which plays a crucial role in promoting the removal of dams and other artificial barriers in European rivers. The directive specifically targets the removal of obsolete and non-functional river barriers, including dams, weirs, and other structures that impede river flow and disrupt natural habitats.

In 2021, the European Commission released a " guidance document to assist Member States in identifying and prioritising barriers that could be removed to help achieve the [ EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 's] goal of restoring 25 000 km of rivers to be free-flowing, and in identifying possible funding sources." The Biodiversity Strategy is a core part of the European Green Deal , a complementary framework to the EU Water Framework Directive with which it shares common goals.

The World Wildlife Fund ("WWF") has been actively involved in promoting dam removals in Europe, focusing on the benefits for biodiversity and ecosystem health. In addition to removing dams, WWF is also attempting to stop new dams that are planned or under construction, worldwide.

Last year, WWF hosted a side event on dam removals at the UN Water Conference. Held in March 2023, the Conference was a collaboration of WWF and the government of the Netherlands. The private-public collaboration co-hosted the Conference with the aim "to shape the plenary agenda" and facilitate over 30 events in New York "to drive water action."

Related: WEF and UN join forces to initiate the next global crisis – water and UK flood risk: We are being subjected to blatant lies, deception and misdirection

Writing about its side event ahead of the UN Water Conference on dam removals, WWF said:

Over ten thousand barriers – from giant hydropower dams to weirs and culverts – have been removed already, primarily in the US and Europe. By reconnecting rivers, dam removals have helped to build resilience and bring life back to dying rivers – from Finland to France, UK to Ukraine, and Maine to Spain. Dams are also starting to be removed in parts of Asia, Oceania and South Africa. And a movement is growing with increasing numbers of people realising that dams are not forever – and that restoring rivers is critical to our future.

Removing dams, restoring rivers , WWF, 28 February 2023 Notable examples of dismantled dams in Spain include the 13m-high Anllarinos dam, the tallest European dam removed in 2021. This demolition is part of a broader effort to restore the Hiitolanjoki River in Finland, allowing landlocked salmon to return to their spawning grounds.

The Guardian reported that at least 239 barriers, including dams and weirs, were removed across 17 countries in Europe in 2021. Spain led the way, with 108 structures taken out of the country's rivers.

"Our efforts to expand dam removals across Europe are gathering speed," said Pao Fernández Garrido, project manager for the World Fish Migration Foundation , who helped produce Dam Removal Europe's 2021 annual report .

Dam Removal Europe is a coalition of organisations: WWF , The Rivers Trust , The Nature Conservancy , The European Rivers Network , Rewilding Europe , Wetlands International and The World Fish Migration Foundation . The coalition leads initiatives to remove barriers, e.g. dams, on rivers.

Further reading: Europe Removed Record Number of Dams and Other Barriers to River Flow in 2023 , Eco Watch, 17 April 2024

As the European Investment Bank ("EIB") made clear when announcing Dam Removal Europe's 2023 "dam removal award" to a removal project in Spain, the aim of removing artificial barriers in rivers is "biodiversity."

The first Dam Removal Europe-EIB's "dam removal award" in 2022 made the same point, that the aim is so-called biodiversity. "The European Commission's Biodiversity Strategy 2030 has set a target of opening at least 25 000 km of free-flowing rivers by removing primarily obsolete barriers," the EIB said .

In 2021, Dam Removal Europe wrote, "We have several exciting dam removal updates from Spain! These are summarised below [in its ] ... More good news! 12 years after a report was released from WWF Spain pushing for the removal of 20 dams, one of those dams was recently announced to be removed!"

Dam Removal Europe makes no mention of the potential negative impact of the "exciting dam removal" projects on people, farming, the environment or biodiversity.

In 2020, Wetlands International wrote, "As one of the Dam Removal Europe partners, Wetlands International will direct its efforts particularly to working with the European Commission to improve the implementation of EU water and nature legislation and ensure Member States adopt ambitious River Basin Management Plans in 2021, including dam removal measures."

If there is only one group, such as Dam Removal Europe, working with the European Commission to develop and implement policies, then only that's group interests will be taken into account – this is how "group think" takes over and implements bad policies with likely devastating consequences for everyone and everything else.

In October 2023 , Dam Removal Europe launched a project, ' Scaling up dam removal: implementation plan for Southeastern (SE) Europe ', to expand and accelerate the "dam removal movement" in Europe. Funded by the European Open Rivers Programme and led by the World Fish Migration Foundation, the three-year project unites several partners: Fauna & Flora, MedINA Greece, Wetlands International, European Rivers Network, WWF Netherlands, Slovakia and Adria.

The Dam Removal Europe coalition is very much in the driving seat of the removal of water storage, hydroelectric power and flood defence structures on Europe's rivers in the name of "biodiversity."

The image below is snipped from the Dam Removal Europe interactive map of removals of river barriers in Spain. It is colour-coded to show which year the removal took place.

In July this year, the campaign and activist group River Watch said that is estimated that over 200 dams have been removed in Spain so far. One of them was the Inturia dam.

The Inturia dam, located in the Leitzaran River (Oria River Basin) in Elduain Municipality, Gipuzkoa Province (Basque Country, Spain), was a 12-meter-high dam that was filled with sediments. Its removal happened in four phases due to the high sediment accumulation behind the dam (236,000 m3). Completed in 2014, the removal aimed to restore longitudinal connectivity for fauna migration, free sediment movement and good spawning grounds. So, what happened to all the sediment, where did they put it? In typical activist fashion, Dam Removal Europe doesn't say .

It's important to note that it isn't only dams that are on Dam Removal Europe's target list. "The demolition hammer has gone into many obsolete or disused dams and weirs. Flood defences that caused damage to the surrounding ecosystem also had to suffer," In Spain News said .

Citizens have expressed concerns about the demolition of dams, which provide drinking water, energy and flood protection, but "experts" argue that well-maintained infrastructure is crucial to prevent collapse and ensure public safety.

Well, perhaps the "experts" are wrong.

It is the removal of these dams and flood defences that have become the focal point as the root cause of recent devastating floods in Valencia and elsewhere in Spain. The following is just a sample of what social media users are saying.

Latimer Alder tweeted , "In both 2021 and 2022 Spain was Europe's leader in removing dams from water courses ('river restoration'). Nearly 250 [were] removed. And now we have a bad periodic flood in Valencia. The water could not be held back. Makes you think ..."

Jose Muniz tweeted the image below and commented, "These are all the dams that the Spanish Government has eliminated in these past years in their plan to 'let the rivers flow' designed by the greens in Europe."

A few days earlier, Filon de Alejandria had also tweeted an image of the map above with the comment, "Spain: Because the evil 2030 agenda started a plan to demolish hundreds of dams, today that action has caused over 70 victims because DANA storm. They make stupid laws; we pay the consequences."

Related: Anger and fury as Valencians curse Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and attack his car

ADB tweeted an image of the ' Dam Removal Progress Report 2022 ' and commented, "So many many dams in Spain were removed. Could this have had a drastic effect on the recent flood? Remember the fires in Spain a couple of years ago? Most were deliberately started."

MJK tweeted an image of an and a map of dams removed commenting, "Dam's Removed in and around Europe, dams removed in Spain ... Almost as if destruction was planned in Advance or in fact inevitable."

Pete responded to MJK, "Put in place to stop flooding????? Removed to create flooding????"

Wide Awake Media tweeted a video and said, "Spain destroyed more than 256 dams between 2021 and 2022, "to restore the natural course of rivers", in order to comply with UN Agenda 2030. But no, the flooding is a result of 'climate change'."

Similarly, Graham tweeted , "Spain destroyed more than 256 dams between 2021 and 2022 in order to comply with UN Agenda 2030. But no, the flooding is not long-planned and a result of this and geoengineered weather warfare it's a result of 'climate change'. 617 Squadron must be turning in their graves."

Amazing World tweeted a video and said, "In Spain, the floods reached Aragon and are being held back by a dam built by the Roman Emperor Augustus 2000 years ago. Impressive!"

Constantin von Hoffmeister tweeted the same video and said, "In Spain, over 200 people lost their lives in the floods, but the municipality of Almonacid de la Cuba was fortunate to be protected by an ancient Roman dam built over 2,000 years ago during the reign of Emperor Augustus. This remarkable structure, the tallest surviving Roman dam, safeguarded the local residents and infrastructure by holding back water to its maximum capacity and allowing it to gradually recede, preventing the floodwaters from reaching residential areas."

Alex Phillips tweeted , "EU made Spain REMOVE dams. More than 200 people [are] dead in horrific floods in Spain. They'll tell you a year's worth of rain fell. What they won't tell you is EU legislation forced Spain to rip out its dams. The EU's Biodiversity Strategy 2030 made member States remove hindrances to 'rewild' rivers. Guess who was top of the class? Spain. 133 taken out in 2023 alone."

BowTiedMara tweeted a video and commented, "Between 2021 and 2022 alone, Spain destroyed 256+ dams to restore the 'natural course' of rivers to comply with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. This year, we've seen the direct consequences of the EU communist delirium. But 'muh climate change'."

Jos Quinten tweeted a thread which ended , "Let me clarify: I'm not suggesting that this was done intentionally. However, altering water barriers and flows in areas historically prone to heavy rainfall is a significant risk. The more changes you make, the greater the gamble becomes. It would have been wiser to implement these changes gradually, rather than demolishing 108 (!) dams in just three years! However, I also can't dismiss the possibility that this was done with the awareness that it could eventually lead to problems, potentially to further a climate agenda. Please note that the last image is from 1957! It looks like we had climate change back then??"

Related: What's happening with the floods in Spain?

In the fourth tweet of his thread, Jos Quinten posted a video and said, "From the EU website Dam Removal Europe we can read: 'The Jucar Basin Authority (CHJ), in the east of Spain (Valencia and Albacete area), has demolished 10 dams over the past two years in the basin'. What could possibly go wrong ... [Video] below [shows] devastation in Albacete area."

You can read Jos Quinten's thread on the Threadreader App HERE .

MkNotts19 responded to Jos Quinten's thread, "Any policy originating in WEF corridors is very much 'intentional' and always disguised as being benefit of the environment" and attached a link to the World Economic Forum's 2023 ' The removal of dams in Europe is reviving rivers and boosting biodiversity. Here's how '.

Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki tweeted an he had published titled ' Drowning in Deception: Floods in Valencia, Spain: How Politicians and Media Exploit Natural Disasters for a Climate Agenda '.

To introduce his , Dr Wielicki , who describes himself as an Earth scientist in exile, attached the image below with the comment, "Hundreds of years ago, communities built dams recognising the very real threat of floods to life and livelihood. These structures became a testament to human ingenuity and resilience.

"Fast forward to today, and in the name of environmentalism, we're tearing down these barriers – 239 removed in Europe alone in 2021 – only to blame climate change when floods devastate towns. This is insanity. We've forgotten the lessons of the past, dismantling protections that safeguarded generations and then pointing fingers at climate when nature inevitably takes its course."

Will the Spanish government investigate whether Dam Removal Europe's initiatives – supported and encouraged by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations – have caused or contributed to the death of hundreds of people (including children and babies) with thousands of people still missing?