This project will prepare six migration barriers - three historic dams in Ramsan, two road culverts in Rödån and one weir in Hjuksån - for future removal or remediation, potentially reconnecting approximately 126 kilometres of river habitat.
The project covers three tributary systems in the Vindelälven-Umeälven river network in northern Sweden. Vindelälven is one of Sweden’s four National Rivers and one of the country’s largest remaining free-flowing rivers. It is also Rewilding Sweden’s main focus area.
This is Rewilding Sweden’s third year working in the area, where the project team has already completed several dam removals and has further river restoration projects underway.
Rödån and Hjuksån are tributaries of the Vindelälven, while Ramsan enters the Umeälven upstream of the rivers’ confluence. The sites are approximately 50-100 kilometres from the Baltic Sea, partly within the Vindel River Landscape UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and close to Natura 2000 areas. The tributaries provide important habitat for brown trout, grayling and the endangered freshwater pearl mussel.
| Project status | Live |
|---|---|
| Project type | Dam removal: pre-demolition |
| Country | Sweden |
| River | Ramsan, Rödån and Hjuksån, within the Umeälven and Vindelälven catchments |
| Focal species | Brown trout, grayling, perch, pike, burbot and freshwater pearl mussel |
| Organisation | Rewilding Sweden |
| Website | rewilding-sweden.com |
Although the main Vindelälven is free flowing, many of its tributaries are still fragmented by old dams, weirs and road culverts. This project covers three historic dams in Ramsan, two culverts in Rödån and one weir in Hjuksån. These barriers limit fish migration and access to spawning and nursery habitat.
Rewilding Sweden works at the scale of whole catchments rather than treating each barrier as an isolated site. Dam removal is combined with restoring channels affected by timber floating, wetlands, forests and streamside habitats. Involving landowners, fishing associations and local communities is also an important part of this work. Together, these measures can produce greater and longer-lasting benefits for both rivers and local communities.
The grant will fund the surveys, technical assessments, landowner dialogue and regulatory preparation needed to make the six barriers ready for removal.
The project team’s long-term aim is to restore tributaries that are free-flowing from their headwaters to the main river, without artificial barriers to fish or natural river processes. This project will investigate how each of the six barriers can be removed or modified and identify what is needed to carry out the work.
Activities will include field surveys, measurements, verification of existing information, feasibility studies, basic structural and hydrological assessments, landowner and community dialogue, cultural heritage assessments where needed, and preparation of removal plans. The expected outcome is six well-prepared projects that can move towards implementation in future field seasons.
Removing or modifying the barriers could reconnect around 126 kilometres of river habitat. This would improve access to spawning and nursery areas, support trout and grayling populations, benefit freshwater pearl mussels and restore the movement of sediment and nutrients through the river systems.
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