Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Projects

Zwahlen, Robert

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-91185-0

Cited by 3 publications

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“…The decline in abundance was associated with distribution changes as the population size of H. amphibius significantly dropped in the affected floodplains. Our results are in line with several studies relating to dam construction and significant negative decline in semi-aquatic species (Eskew et al 2012;Brum et al 2021;Zwahlen 2022). Due to their high sensitivity to flow regime variations and the possibility of fragmenting habitat, semi-aquatic populations such as H. amphibius face risks of displacement and significant decline (Lind et al 1996;Liang et al 2022).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

Bempah¹,

Grant²,

Lu³

et al. 2022

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Landscape changes resulting from human activities have resulted in range restrictions and substantial reductions in population sizes of most animals. The construction of hydroelectric dams has the same effect on species, but the study of their impact on semi-aquatic megafauna species is limited. We examined the response of a Hippopotamus amphibius population to the inundation of their habitat after the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Bui National Park, Ghana. We conducted an abundance and distribution survey of H. amphibius and compared the population size from our results with a pre-dam construction survey to determine changes in the abundance and distribution of the species within the focal area. Furthermore, we conducted a landscape analysis to estimate land cover before and after the dam construction and determined if the changes in land cover were related to the changes in population of H. amphibius. Finally, we conducted selected interviews to understand additional threats to the species perceived by the local population, as indirect effects of the dam construction. Contrary to our original hypothesis on an increase in the abundance of H. amphibius in the medium term (within a decade) through population recovery after the disturbances caused by the construction of the dam, we found lower numbers of H. amphibius after the dam construction, compared to the pre-dam results. The results indicated a reduced abundance from 209 H. amphibius individuals in 2003 to 64 H. amphibius individuals in 2021. Some individuals may have migrated to areas outside the reserve during damming when their habitat was disturbed. The amount of land covered by water increased from 0.41% before damming to 19.01% after damming, which flooded the resting and grazing sites of the H. amphibius. We conclude that the abundance and distribution of H. amphibius significantly and negatively decreased after the construction of the dam at the Bui National Park. We tentatively relate this decrease to the species’ semi aquatic ecology and sensitivity to changes in both the terrestrial and aquatic environment. The activities of human settlement encroachment such as poaching, as well as associated land cover changes, affected the stability of the H. amphibius population. However, as the species can survive in the medium to long term when effective management plans are implemented, we recommend H. amphibius to be given high conservation priorities by enhancing strict laws for habitat protection.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

Bempah¹,

Grant²,

Lu³

et al. 2022

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Politicization of the Hydropower Dams in the Lancang-Mekong Basin: A Review of Contemporary Environmental Challenges

2022

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To date, hydropower dams raise numerous interpretations about their impact on the Lancang-Mekong River. While most research studies analyze the negative aspects of hydropower development on people’s livelihoods and local environments, the hydropower sector was historically one of the most iconic economic segments facilitating transboundary water cooperation for decades. By using the constructive discourse analysis and critical political ecology approach, the presented text (1) outlines the current environmental narratives over the Lancang-Mekong hydropower development and (2) explores the politicization of the Chinese mainstream dams. The data were collected upon the multi-level content analysis of relevant sources and double-checked with the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and Conflict Database (LMCCD) monitoring over 4000 water-related events among six riparian countries between 1990 and 2021. Our data show that (i) there is a stark contrast in positive and negative narratives over the rapid hydropower development, (ii) the impact of mainstream dams on the river is more often discussed than that of tributary dams, (iii) implications of the hydropower dams are often interpreted upon the non-traditional research inputs rather than widely accepted studies, and (iv) developing the contradictory arguments through social and public media contributes to greater polarization of the multi-stakeholders’ viewpoints in the accountable research dialogue.

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State of the Art in Designing Fish-Friendly Turbines: Concepts and Performance Indicators

Koukouvinis

Anagnostopoulos

2023

Energies

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The expanding role of renewable energy sources in the electricity market share implies the increasing role of hydropower and the exploitation of unharnessed hydraulic potential, in the scope of sustainability and net zero emissions. Hydro-turbine design practices are expected to expand beyond achieving high efficiency goals, to multi-objective criteria ranging from efficient reversible operation to fish-friendly concepts. The present review paper outlines fundamental characteristics of hydropower, summarizing its potential impact toward aquatic life. Estimates of lethality for each damage mechanism are discussed, such as barotrauma, blunt impact and shearing, along with relevant advances in experimental techniques. Furthermore, numerical techniques are discussed, ranging from simple particle tracking to fully coupled six-degree-of-freedom tracking, which can be used to investigate candidate designs and their fish-friendly performance, presenting their advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, a link to the individual damage mechanisms is established, to proposed holistic performance metrics, useful for providing estimates of fish-friendliness of a given hydropower installation. Finally, recent developments and design practices for fish-friendly turbine concepts are presented.

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Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Projects

Cited by 3 publications

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The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

Politicization of the Hydropower Dams in the Lancang-Mekong Basin: A Review of Contemporary Environmental Challenges

State of the Art in Designing Fish-Friendly Turbines: Concepts and Performance Indicators

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Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Projects

Cited by 3 publications

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﻿The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

﻿The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

Politicization of the Hydropower Dams in the Lancang-Mekong Basin: A Review of Contemporary Environmental Challenges

State of the Art in Designing Fish-Friendly Turbines: Concepts and Performance Indicators

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Product

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The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana

The direct and indirect effects of damming on the Hippopotamus amphibius population abundance and distribution at Bui National Park, Ghana