From the Klamath to the Kruger: The Global Rise of River Restoration

From the Klamath to the Kruger: The Global Rise of River Restoration

​The 2026 Bioneers Conference has illuminated a powerful truth: the movement to "un-dam" our world and restore land to its original nature is no longer just a series of isolated experiments. It is a global shift. While California is currently celebrating the historic return of salmon to the Klamath River, a similar transformation is taking place across the African continent. From the savanna of South Africa to the urban watersheds of Ethiopia and Rwanda, the philosophy of "re-wilding" is being put into practice.

​Africa’s "Great Un-Damming": The Kruger Success

​In South Africa, the movement to restore natural flow regimes has found a champion in Kruger National Park. Much like the Klamath project, this initiative recognizes that human-made barriers—even those built with good intentions—can devastate local ecosystems.

​In March 2026, conservationists collaborated with the South African National Defence Force to remove the Kanniedood and Sirheni dams using controlled explosions. These historic structures had long disrupted the natural pulse of the northern river systems. By removing them, the park is restoring the seasonal migration patterns of freshwater fish and eels. Perhaps more importantly, it ensures that megafauna—elephants, hippos, and crocodiles—have unobstructed access to water during the harsh dry seasons, allowing the rivers to behave as they did for millennia before human interference.

​Nature-Based Solutions in East Africa

​Further north, the restoration movement takes a different, more urban-focused shape through projects like SUNCASA (Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation). This initiative is currently active in cities like Kigali, Rwanda, and Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

​Instead of relying on "grey infrastructure" like concrete levees, these projects use "green infrastructure." In Dire Dawa, the focus is on restoring the Dechatu River catchment to protect over 200,000 people from flash floods. This involves planting over two million indigenous and fruit-bearing trees—such as mango and date palms—to stabilize the soil and create natural buffer zones. It is a dual-purpose strategy: restoring the land’s original sponge-like capacity to absorb water while simultaneously supporting local food sovereignty.

​The Power of Indigenous Stewardship

​A recurring theme at Bioneers—and a cornerstone of African restoration—is the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Across the continent, local "Restoration Champions" are leading the way:

​The Umzimvubu River System (South Africa): In the Eastern Cape, communal grazing agreements have helped restore 7,000 hectares of montane grasslands, strengthening the water security of the entire river system.

​The Mau Forest (Kenya): The Ogiek Peoples' Development Program is actively advocating for land rights while restoring sections of their ancestral forest, recognizing that the health of the trees is inseparable from the health of the rivers they feed.

​The Green Belt Movement: Continuing the legacy of Wangari Maathai, thousands of community groups (largely led by women) are protecting watersheds through massive indigenous reforestation efforts across East Africa.

​A Shared Vision for 2026

​Whether it is the return of the salmon in California or the return of natural floodplains in Ethiopia, the goal remains the same: healing the rift between human development and the natural world. These projects prove that when we remove the barriers—both physical and philosophical—nature has a remarkable ability to heal itself.

​You can see the dramatic impact of these efforts in this update on the Kruger National Park dam removals, which shows how river levels and ecosystems shift once the barriers are gone.

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