Why does geography matter in big dam removal projects? Lessons from a comparison between the Sélune and Elwha River cases

Abstract

The dam removal movement is resulting in numerous projects worldwide, especially in Western countries. Whether completed or in progress, these undertakings often trigger conflict. Nearly 30 years after the initiation of the first major projects, this article examines the conditions for the local appropriation of dam removal projects. From the perspective of two pioneering and emblematic projects in France (Sélune River) and the United States (Elwha River), this article highlights the geographic specificities of dam removal projects carried out in European rural areas. The aim is to discuss how to implement ambitious ecological projects without running the risk of local people losing their sensitive relationship (history, experience, landscape) with the areas once they have been restored. In other words, ecological restoration should not result in a loss of meaning and quality in the relationship between local people and newly restored spaces; it should instead enrich it. In fact, the removal of a dam is not just a technical project; it profoundly affects landscapes, disrupting uses and creating new places. We identify the modalities by which a new space is produced and appropriated by local populations based on a comparison of the relevant spaces (national park vs. rural agricultural space), the populations involved (river users, Native American tribes, residents, and NGOs), and, finally, the governance processes and interactions between expertise and politics, all to highlight the need to take geographical context into account. Based on a detailed knowledge of the formation of the Sélune dam removal project, which has been the subject of continuous participant observation since 2011, we examine these projects’ singularities and commonalities to identify the factors that contribute to their success. This study highlights the importance of the spatial scale at which the dam removal project should be framed, the role of government, and the importance of considering people’s attachment to local places. Finally, this comparison makes recommendations for improving the socio-territorial quality of ecological projects, especially in Europe, with the aim of ensuring their sustainability and success.

Experiencing the landscape: landscape agency in a multifunctional valley after dam removal on the Sélune River, France

“…The dams are insurmountable obstacles for Atlantic salmon, who enter the Bay and are unable to access spawning grounds located farther upstream (Forget et al 2018). These structures also disrupt the flow of sediment, and finally, do not comply with French legislation (Germaine and Lespez 2017). For these reasons, in late 2009, the government announced the removal of the dams as part of a national plan for the restoration of environmental continuity along waterways.…”

“…The government fears that a downstream flow of sediments would indicate a lack of control and contradict the operation underway to remove sand from the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel (Lefeuvre and Bouchard 2002). The agency of the sediments is fueled by the memory of the last dredging operation in 1993, which resulted in peak turbidity of 160 mg/L after a rainy period, and the poor management of the operation by Electricité de France (Germaine and Lespez 2017).…”

“…To date, the Sélune Valley has been characterized by the lack of local collective support for dam removal, unlike most such operations that, for example, had the support of Indigenous peoples in North America (Brewitt 2019, Diver et al 2022) and New Zealand (Brierley et al 2022) or, elsewhere, from environmental nongovernmental organizations (Gosnell andKelly 2010, Sneddon et al 2017). The only grassroots collective to speak out about dam removal has been the "Friends of the Dam" association that fought the project, whereas the actors who called for removal of the Sélune Dam ("Friends of the Sélune") are outsiders who failed to find a local ally in the valley (Germaine and Lespez 2017). In this case, appropriation is not based on memory or on the desire to rediscover forgotten practices, as was the case in the of the Elwah Dam in Washington State (Busch 2008, Winter and Crain 2008, Mauer 2020 or the Penobscot Dam in Maine, USA (Day 2006, Opperman et al 2011, or on ecological principles that a priori favor such operations.…”

“…The return of salmon is not a sufficiently strong lever, considering that only a few fishermen still fish this species downstream of the dams (Thomas and Germaine 2018). Although the relationship with the Sélune River is less obvious than elsewhere, it is important not to deny or neglect it, but instead to try to (re)build it (Germaine and Lespez 2023).…”

Virtavesipolitiikan liikkuminen ja kääntäminen käytännöiksi

“…Järvet, padot ja vaelluskalat kuten lohi antavat fyysisellä läsnäolollaan, ominaisuuksillaan ja toiminnallaan oman panoksensa vesiä koskevaan päätöksentekoon ja hallintaan (Druschke ym. 2017;Germaine ja Lespez 2017;Drapier ym. 2023).…”