Environmental consequences of damming the mainstream Lancang-Mekong River: A review

Damming rivers to generate hydropower can help mitigate the world's energy crisis and reduce the risk of global climate change; however, damming can also produce enormous negative effects on the environment and ecosystems. The mainstream Lancang-Mekong River within China has been planned as one...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth-science reviews 2015-07, Vol.146, p.77-91
Main Authors: Fan, Hui, He, Daming, Wang, Hailong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Cascades
China
Climate change
Dam construction
Dams
Ecosystem responses
Ecosystems
Environmental impact
Environmental impacts
Freshwater
Hydroelectric plants
Hydroelectric power
Lancang cascade dams
Mekong River
Reservoirs
Risk
Rivers
Sustainable development
Transboundary waterway
Water quality
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Summary:Damming rivers to generate hydropower can help mitigate the world's energy crisis and reduce the risk of global climate change; however, damming can also produce enormous negative effects on the environment and ecosystems. The mainstream Lancang-Mekong River within China has been planned as one of the thirteen state hydropower bases. To date, there have been six operational dams along the mainstream Lancang River, and the 15 remaining dams of the proposed Lancang cascade will be completed in the next decades. In this paper, we examined several crucial environmental changes and ecological responses that have resulted from the construction and operation of the existing dams of the Lancang cascade. The current literature and observational data suggest that the commissioned dams have led to a decline in the flood season water discharge and annual sediment flux within China's borders, reservoir aggradations, and water quality degradation in the reservoirs, which has negatively affected riverine aquatic biological communities and fish assemblages. In contrast, the dams have only had small unfavorable effects on downstream environments and ecosystems outside of China. Because of the potential environmental and geopolitical risks of the Lancang cascade dams, a long-term basin-wide terrestrial and aquatic monitoring program is urgently required to ensure that regional sustainable development occurs in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin.
ISSN:0012-8252
1872-6828
DOI:10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.03.007