The Reckoning
A decade on: rivers won and rivers lost. Pristine stretches measured, dam permits rejected, UNESCO status secured — and the threats that haven't gone away.
Part of Riverwatch
5 moments in this segment.
- — Fish die-off below the Ulog dam. In September 2025 a mass fish die-off is discovered on the upper Neretva, seven kilometres downstream of the newly built Ulog hydropower plant — a stark illustration of a dam's reach.
- — Vjosa becomes a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In 2025 the Vjosa is designated a UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere" Reserve, layering international recognition on top of its national-park status and cementing it as a global symbol of river restoration.
- — A UNESCO complaint for the Studenica. Citizens and NGOs file a formal complaint to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre over hydropower threats to the Studenica basin in Serbia, home to a medieval monastery already on the World Heritage list.
- — 163 scientists oppose Buk Bijela. In 2026, 163 scientists issue a joint statement against the Buk Bijela dam on the Upper Drina, citing a deeply flawed environmental impact assessment — the scientific community lining up behind the rivers.
- — The Nevačka dam is rejected. In March 2026 authorities in Republika Srpska reject the environmental study for the Nevačka small hydropower plant, sparing another stretch of the Bosna basin — proof that the wave of dams can still be turned back.
