River Bräkneån

Ecological challenges and restoration needs
River Bräkneån has varying water conditions. In the northern part stagnant water dominates, while the southern part in Blekinge County has flowing watercourses.
During dry periods River Bräkneån has very low water flows. The landscape upstream of Lake Tiken is heavily drained and the existing dam at the lake is poorly designed. This leads to high flows during floods and low flows during droughts, which negatively affects the whole ecosystem.
The watercourse also contains several small-scale hydropower plants and other migration barriers that impair ecological connectivity and negatively affect species such as fish and mussels. Therefore, River Bräkneån has only a moderate ecological status according to the EU Water Framework Directive.

River Bräkneån is also part of the National Hydropower Greening Plan.

Planned measures within the project
The project aims to improve the ecological status of Bräkneån by:

• Remove or restore three migration barriers.
• Restore the hydrological balance of Lake Tiken to ensure more stable water flows.
• Carry out habitat restoration at Hållsdammen to improve habitat conditions.
• Restore floodplains, riparian zones and wetlands to increase water holding capacity and reduce the effects of climate change.
• Strengthen the populations of pearl mussels and thick-shelled mussels by improving their habitat and implementing infestation with the host fish trout.

Other collaborative projects and future
The project complements previous efforts, such as the UC4LIFE project, where fauna passages were built at power plant dams and where biotope improvements were carried out in the lower parts of River Bräkneån. The municipalities of Ronneby and Tingsryd are involved in the action work, and Ronneby municipality leads biotope conservation efforts.

River Bräkneån is also part of the National Hydropower Greening Plan. Four power plants will be adapted with improved upstream and downstream passages, which will further increase connectivity in the river.

Through a combination of habitat restoration, hydrological restoration and removal of migration barriers, the project will improve water flows and biodiversity. Ecosystem function will be strengthened and populations of species worthy of protection will increase throughout the Bräkneån catchment.