摘要：Dam removal is an increasingly common practice. Dams are removed for various reasons, with safety, economics,and ecosystem restoration being the most common. However, dam removals often cause controversy. Riparian land owners andlocal communities often have a negative view of removal, and their reasons vary. It may be the loss of recreational benefits suchas swimming and boating, loss of cultural and historical context tied to the dam, or fear that removal may have a negative effecton aesthetic values. Because controversies are often picked up by local media, and media in itself is an important channel tobuild support around a cause, the way in which dam removals are reported and discussed in the media is likely to influence thedebate. Here, we examine the ways in which proponents and opponents of dam removal frame the services provided by twocontrasting ecosystems, i.e., an existing dam and the potential stream without a dam, by performing a media discourse analysisof the reasons given for removal and the reasons presented for the dam to remain in place. Our source material includes Internet-based newspaper articles and their associated public comments in four dam removal controversies in Sweden. Our analysisindicates that public opposition is not based on knowledge deficiency, where more information will lead to better ecologicaldecision-making, as is sometimes argued in dam removal science; it is instead a case of different understandings and valuationof the environment and the functions it provides
关键词：controversies; dam removal; discourse analysis; ecosystem services; newspaper media; Sweden
