Not all river barriers are suitable for removal. Some continue to serve important functions, such as water supply, irrigation or road access. Others, however, may be obsolete, abandoned or no longer fulfil a meaningful purpose, while continuing to fragment the river and disrupt its natural connectivity.

For this reason, once the barrier inventory has been completed, all barriers within the Diarizos catchment will undergo a multi-criteria assessment. This evaluation will consider the expected ecological and hydromorphological benefits of removal, technical and legal feasibility, ownership, indicative costs, potential risks, and the views of the competent authorities, local communities and water users.

The selection of candidate barriers will not rely solely on scientific and technical criteria. Throughout the project, a series of participatory workshops and stakeholder meetings will bring together public authorities, local communities, water users and other interested parties to exchange knowledge, discuss concerns and jointly evaluate potential restoration opportunities.

This participatory process will improve understanding of the ecological, social and technical aspects of each potential removal project, promote transparency in decision-making and help build support for future river restoration initiatives.

Based on the results of the scientific assessment and stakeholder consultation, a shortlist of candidate barriers will be developed from which one or two priority barriers will be selected for further investigation. Although Phragmographysis does not include the removal of barriers itself, it establishes the scientific, technical, administrative and social foundations needed to make future barrier removal projects possible.

Barrier removal is not an objective in itself. The ultimate goal is to restore the natural functioning, connectivity and ecological resilience of rivers wherever this is scientifically justified, technically feasible and socially supported.