This project will assist in the preparation for removing three key migration barriers in the Yantra river catchment (Bulgaria), including development of technical designs and obtaining relevant permissions.
Yantra River is a tributary of the Danube. It is 285.5 km long and drains an area of 7861.6 km² with an altitude range from 19 m to 2376 m. It represents the second-largest water catchment among the Danube tributaries in Bulgaria.
Yantra has experienced a 30-40% reduction in its annual discharge over the last forty years, alongside increasingly severe droughts and frequent floods. Discharge varies significantly, from 2 to over 2000 m³/s during extreme events.
In total, 65 fish species have been reported in the Yantra River Basin, 57 of which are native. The Karadere tributary hosts the last known population of the sculpin in the Yantra basin – a critically endangered species in Bulgaria. Protected species such as the noble crayfish, thick-shelled river mussel, Balkan spined loach, and rare species like Kessler’s gudgeon are also found here.
| Project status | Live |
|---|---|
| Project type | Dam removal: pre-demolition |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| River | Yantra river tributaries - Karadere, Dryanovska, Belitsa |
| Focal species | Sabanejewia balcanica, Cottus haemusi, Chondrostoma nasus, Astacus astacus, Unio crassus, Rhodeus amarus, Barbus barbus, Barbus petenyi, Alburnoides sp., Vimba vimba, Cobitis strumicae, Romanogobio kesslerii, Austropotamobius torrentium |
| Organisation | BALKANI Wildlife Society |
| Website | balkani.org |
The Lower Yantra river was once highly meandering. In the 1970s, the riverbed was straightened, and flood protection dikes were built. Heavily polluted and fragmented during the Soviet era, its ecological condition has improved since the collapse of Soviet industry and better wastewater management.
Fish fauna has mostly recovered due to its connection to the Danube and refugia in preserved natural tributary sections. However, hydropower development has impacted many mountain stretches. Historically, mass fish migration from the Danube occurred in the lower and middle courses.
Following a previous identification and prioritisation grant from the programme, this project aims to prepare the removal of three of the identified barriers. Removing these three key barriers will restore connectivity of approximately 95 km along the Belitsa, Dryanovska, and Karadere tributaries. Including the tributary lengths, the total restored stretches would exceed 150 km. Among the 324 artificial barriers investigated in the Yantra catchment, these three rank among the top ten priority removals.
At least 324 artificial barriers have been identified in the Yantra basin, 17 of which are classified as highly significant for removal based on ecological and feasibility criteria. The overall goal of the current project is to prepare technical documentation, supported by the responsible institutions and local communities, for removing three barriers of exceptional ecological value at the basin level.
The project’s team has already provided a preliminary legal overview, due diligence on status, conceptual and technical demolition designs, and cost estimates. The following activities will be undertaken:
The expected outcome is the completion of institution-approved technical documentation. This approach aims to address barriers effectively while building a foundation for wider institutional and public engagement.
Funded by
