The Last Wild Heart of the Alps Is Fighting for Its Life

Local resident Alessandro Ciriani guides the way along the rocky spurs overlooking Italy's Pinzano Gorge, as if he's a lifelong resident of the river. These turquoise waters were a favorite setting for childhood memories and have been known locally for decades. Today, they know it for what it is: the last free-flowing, wild river of the European Alps.

The Tagliamento is an ecological wonder, unspooling over 178 kilometers from the Carnic Alps to the Upper Adriatic Sea. The cold waters of the Alps spread out over a large and long stretch of the riverbed, with intricate, veined flows that continually break down, form and reform in response to each flood pulse across a 50-kilometer stretch. This "braided" system, which has been a hallmark of rivers throughout the Alpine area for many years, is continually changing, with sand, gravel and micro-habitats hosting hundreds of species of plants and animals.

Elsewhere in Europe, however, natural river systems have been tamed by human engineering, concrete walls and hydroelectric dams. The Tagliamento was the only exception, the only living one.

But for now, the threat looms over that wildness.

The regional government of Friuli-Venezia Giulia approved a Flood Risk Management Plan that consists of a huge horizontal barrier, a weir, that crosses the riverbed between the towns of Dignano and Spilimbergo, at a cost of €200 million. The infrastructure project is supposed to help limit water flow during periods of heavy rain and minimize flood danger downstream.

But researchers, conservationists and the local population are concerned about the price the river's health could pay.

Opponents note that a solid barrier would interfere with the sediment flow and channel shifting that are important to the river's survival. The project also conflicts directly with recent EU legislation aimed at restoring habitats and eliminating man-made barriers from rivers. Instead, critics call for nature-based approaches to flood management, such as increasing natural floodplains, that can defend communities without taking the pulse out of the river.

People, including Ciriani, are mobilizing at the grassroots level, with petitions and protests in support of sustainable solutions, while ecological professionals are joining them in raising awareness. It is not only a battle against a dam; it is a battle for a natural heritage that, once lost, can never be replaced by those fighting on the front line.

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