An environmental activist faces a riot policeman in the Sivens forest as clearing has started in preparation of the Sivens dam construction, on September 9, 2014 near Gaillac, in the Tarn region of France. Although the construction of the dam would help supply water to nearby farms, it would remove a 13-hectares-long reservoir of biodiversity. Proponents of the dam – including the Departmental Federation of Syndicated Farmers (FDSEA) – deemed necessary to secure water supplies for farmers. Opponents – backed by French Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) – are moved by the disappearance of a wetland sheltering 94 protected species and therefore denounce the projected irrigated agricultural model. By Remy Gabalda/AFP/Getty Images.
The Dish 