Development of an ecological impact assessment model for dam construction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for assessing the ecological value of a dam reservoir. Various evaluable characteristics (''elements'') that influence the ecology of the target area around the dam were grouped into three classes: (1) physical elements, such as altitude, slope, and aspect; (2) vegetation elements, such as forest physiognomy, vegetation type, age class, diameter at breast height (DBH) class, and density; and (3) habitat elements, such as ecological conditions, vegetation conservation classification, and frequency of wildlife appearances. The evaluation standard was quantified considering the ecological function of each element. The developed assessment model was applied to the Yeongju Dam in the Nakdong River basin in Korea. This study assumed that the ecological condition before the dam construction was 100 %. The results of this study showed that the physical, vegetation, and habitat elements were downgraded to 82.8, 95.5, and 90.7 %, respectively, after the construction of the dam. The overall ecological value was estimated to be 90.0 % and thus decreased by 10.0 % due to dam construction. Additionally, by combining the results for the evaluation elements, an ecologically healthy area was selected. The results of this study should prove useful for quantifying ecological impact and for establishing an ecological restoration plan for dam reservoirs.

Hydrodynamics Regulate Longitudinal Plankton Community Structure in an Alpine Cascade Reservoir System

“…Serial constructions of dams lead to a cascade reservoir system along the river. Several studies have explored the effects of cascade reservoirs on river ecosystems ( Fan et al, 2015 ; Algarte et al, 2016 ; Wang Y. et al, 2016 ; Kang et al, 2017 ; Baumgartner et al, 2020 ). Studies report that cascade reservoirs cause significant changes in phytoplankton ( Padisák et al, 2000 ; Silva et al, 2005 ; Wang et al, 2018 ), zooplankton ( Hart, 2004 ; Perbiche-Neves and Nogueira, 2010 ; Okuku et al, 2016 ), benthic animals ( Callisto et al, 2005 ), fish ( Draštík et al, 2008 ), water physiochemical characteristics ( Jorcin and Nogueira, 2005 ; Karnaukhova, 2007 ), and hydrological regimes ( Matsuno et al, 2003 ) in river ecosystems.…”

Evaluation of Ecological Civilization Development in the Post-Olympic Times

“…The Olympic Games held every four years are the most influential international event in the world; it is of great consequences and will bring far-reaching significance for any hosting country. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games not only promoted the economic development of various industries (Kang et al, 2017;Ogunyele et al, 2018), but also improved the urban ecological environment. On the occasion of the Olympics Games, Beijing municipal government carried out environmental protection activities such as increasing green areas, reducing emissions and pollution to further promote ecological development (Geisendorf and Klippert, 2017;Khanchoul et al, 2018).…”

Evaluation of Environmental and Ecological Impacts of the Leading Large-Scale Reservoir on the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River

“…Generally, studies of reservoir impacts on ecological environments focus on evaluation methods [16,17] or specific aspects [18,19] of the impact of reservoirs on the ecological environment, while seldom publications discuss the overall ecological environmental impact of a specific reservoir project in detail, especially for large reservoirs that have impacts on a river basin scale.…”