Bahna

Bahna (rendered in Belarusian/Russian as «Багна») is a Belarusian public environmental initiative and digital platform dedicated to the protection of wild rivers and freshwater ecosystems. Its official website, bahna.land, publishes investigative and advocacy journalism on water policy, hydropower, river restoration, and transboundary basin governance, and it organizes public campaigns around these themes. The platform describes itself as a public nature-protection project and positions its work within a broader movement to keep rivers free-flowing. The initiative's editorial output covers a wide range of water-related topics: the creation of the first historical map of dams in Belarus; the formation of an international public basin council for the Dnieper and Pripyat rivers; comparative analysis of water legislation; international campaigns against hydropower plants; the ecological consequences of land reclamation and climate change on Belarusian waterways; and the campaign against the E40 waterway, which would cross Belarus and Poland. Bahna also reports on issues such as anthrax burial sites near rivers, salmon migration blocked by hydropower stations, and the use of FSC certification as a forest-protection tool. Bahna operates as a civil-society actor rather than a conventional commercial company. It collaborates with organizations in Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova on managing Emerald Network sites, and it engages with international bodies such as the European Commission on waterway policy. Its audience is primarily Belarusian and wider Eastern European readers interested in environmental protection, and its content is published in Russian and Belarusian. Because Bahna is an advocacy and media platform rather than a manufacturer or retailer, it does not sell physical products. Its "offerings" are informational and campaign-based: articles, maps, open letters, petitions, and public events. The brand's identity is tied to the concept of wild, free-flowing rivers, and its name is used as a recognizable label for this body of environmental work in Belarus.

Bahna emerged as a Belarusian public environmental initiative and online platform dedicated to the protection of wild rivers. Its website, bahna.land, serves as the primary outlet for its advocacy and journalism. The platform has reported on and campaigned around a series of water-related issues in Belarus and the wider region. Among the earliest visible activities reflected on its site is the creation of what it describes as the first historical map of dams in Belarus, a project intended to document the extent of river fragmentation. Bahna also helped establish an international public basin council for the Dnieper and Pripyat rivers, bringing together civil-society actors across borders to coordinate on water governance. The initiative has published a trilogy of articles on Belarusian rivers, covering the main water pollutants, the role of land reclamation in drying out the country, and the effects of climate change on waterways. It has also produced a two-part series on international campaigns against hydropower plants, examining how rivers can be freed from dams. Bahna has been active in the campaign against the E40 waterway, a proposed navigable route linking the Baltic and Black Seas through Belarus and Poland. It reported that the European Commission declined to include the Polish section of the E40 in the TEN-T network, meaning EU funding for the waterway would not be provided. It also noted that Ukraine initiated a transboundary environmental assessment of the E40, sending a request to the Belarusian side, and that construction of the waterway was being blocked in Poland. Other topics covered by Bahna include anthrax burial sites near rivers, the impact of hydropower plants on salmon migration, the legal challenges surrounding a hydropower plant on the Losha river, and the use of FSC certification as a tool for forest protection. The platform has also reported on the management of Emerald Network sites by organizations in Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, and has run public engagement campaigns such as "Pripyat, give me five!" 5.0, described as a reboot in the wild. Bahna's work reflects the broader environmental movement in Belarus, which operates in a challenging political context. The initiative positions itself as a public nature-protection project, emphasizing citizen participation and international cooperation. Its content is published primarily in Russian, with some materials in Belarusian, and it maintains an active online presence through its website and social media.

• Creation of the first historical map of dams in Belarus

• Establishment of an international public basin council for the Dnieper and Pripyat rivers

• Publication of a trilogy on Belarusian rivers covering pollution, reclamation, and climate change

• Publication of a two-part series on international campaigns against hydropower plants

• European Commission declines to include the Polish section of the E40 waterway in the TEN-T network

• Ukraine initiates a transboundary environmental assessment of the E40 waterway

• Campaign "Pripyat, give me five!" 5.0 — reboot in the wild

A grassroots Belarusian environmental advocacy platform focused on wild rivers and transboundary water governance.

Product categories. Environmental journalism · River protection campaigns · Dam mapping · Policy analysis

1. 1Багна — общественная охрана дикой природыbahna.land
2. 2Bahnawikidata.org