Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development
Hydropower production is one of the greatest threats to fluvial ecosystems and freshwater biodiversity. Now that we have entered the Anthropocene, there is an opportunity to reflect on what might constitute a ‘sustainable’ Anthropocene in the context of hydropower and riverine fish populations. Cons...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Water Biology and Security |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735122000051 |
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| author | William M. Twardek Ian G. Cowx Nicolas W.R. Lapointe Craig Paukert T. Douglas Beard Elena M. Bennett David Browne Andrew K. Carlson Keith D. Clarke Zeb Hogan Kai Lorenzen Abigail J. Lynch Peter B. McIntyre Paulo Pompeu Mark Rogers Alexis Sakas William W. Taylor Taylor D. Ward Zeenatul Basher Steven J. Cooke |
| author_facet | William M. Twardek Ian G. Cowx Nicolas W.R. Lapointe Craig Paukert T. Douglas Beard Elena M. Bennett David Browne Andrew K. Carlson Keith D. Clarke Zeb Hogan Kai Lorenzen Abigail J. Lynch Peter B. McIntyre Paulo Pompeu Mark Rogers Alexis Sakas William W. Taylor Taylor D. Ward Zeenatul Basher Steven J. Cooke |
| author_sort | William M. Twardek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hydropower production is one of the greatest threats to fluvial ecosystems and freshwater biodiversity. Now that we have entered the Anthropocene, there is an opportunity to reflect on what might constitute a ‘sustainable’ Anthropocene in the context of hydropower and riverine fish populations. Considering elements of existing practices that promote favorable social-ecological outcomes (i.e., ‘bright spots’) is timely given that there are plans to expand hydropower capacity in previously undammed rivers, intensify dam development in some of the world's largest river systems, and re-license existing facilities. We approach this from a pragmatic perspective: for the foreseeable future, hydropower will likely remain an important source of renewable electricity. To offer support for moving toward a more ‘sustainable’ Anthropocene, we provide syntheses of best practices during the siting, design, construction, operation, and compensation phases of hydropower development to minimize impacts on inland fish. For each phase, we offer positive examples (or what might be considered ‘bright spots’) pertaining to some of the approaches described within our syntheses, acknowledging that these projects may not be viewed as without ecological and (or) societal detriment by all stakeholders. Our findings underscore the importance of protecting critical habitat and free-flowing river reaches through careful site selection and basin-scale planning, infrastructure designs that minimize reservoir effects and facilitate safe passage of fish, construction of hydropower plants using best practices that minimize long-term damage, operating guidelines that mimic natural flow conditions, and compensation that is lasting, effective, inclusive, and locally relevant. Learning from these ‘bright spots’ may require engagement of diverse stakeholders, professionals, and governments at scales that extend well beyond a given site, river, or even basin. Indeed, environmental planning that integrates hydropower development into broader discussions of conserving regional biodiversity and ecosystem services will be of utmost importance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:18:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-643a2d1dc0f946faa5e39958720473a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2772-7351 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:18:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Biology and Security |
| spelling | doaj.art-643a2d1dc0f946faa5e39958720473a12023-03-02T05:03:28ZengKeAi Communications Co. Ltd.Water Biology and Security2772-73512022-02-0111100009Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower developmentWilliam M. Twardek0Ian G. Cowx1Nicolas W.R. Lapointe2Craig Paukert3T. Douglas Beard4Elena M. Bennett5David Browne6Andrew K. Carlson7Keith D. Clarke8Zeb Hogan9Kai Lorenzen10Abigail J. Lynch11Peter B. McIntyre12Paulo Pompeu13Mark Rogers14Alexis Sakas15William W. Taylor16Taylor D. Ward17Zeenatul Basher18Steven J. Cooke19Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute for Environmental Studies, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada; Corresponding author.Fisheries Institute at the University of Hull, Cottingham Rd, Hull, HU6 7RX, United KingdomCanadian Wildlife Federation, 350 Michael Cowpland Dr, Kanata, ON, K2M 2W1, CanadaU.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, United StatesU.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS-516, Reston, VA, 20192, United StatesMcGill School of Environment, McGill University, 845 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G4, CanadaCanadian Wildlife Federation, 350 Michael Cowpland Dr, Kanata, ON, K2M 2W1, CanadaPrinceton Environmental Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, M30 Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544, United StatesEcological Sciences Section Science Branch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada, PO Box / CP 5667, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C 5X1, CanadaUniversity of Nevada, Reno. 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, United StatesFisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 7922 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL, 32653, United StatesU.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS-516, Reston, VA, 20192, United StatesDepartment of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United StatesDepartamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Aquenta Sol, Lavras, State of Minas Gerais, 37200-900, BrazilU. S. Geological Survey, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Tennessee tech University, Cookeville, TN, 38505, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, 6375 Riverside Drive, Suite 100, Dublin, OH, 43017, United StatesMichigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United StatesFish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute for Environmental Studies, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaU.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS-516, Reston, VA, 20192, United StatesFish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute for Environmental Studies, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaHydropower production is one of the greatest threats to fluvial ecosystems and freshwater biodiversity. Now that we have entered the Anthropocene, there is an opportunity to reflect on what might constitute a ‘sustainable’ Anthropocene in the context of hydropower and riverine fish populations. Considering elements of existing practices that promote favorable social-ecological outcomes (i.e., ‘bright spots’) is timely given that there are plans to expand hydropower capacity in previously undammed rivers, intensify dam development in some of the world's largest river systems, and re-license existing facilities. We approach this from a pragmatic perspective: for the foreseeable future, hydropower will likely remain an important source of renewable electricity. To offer support for moving toward a more ‘sustainable’ Anthropocene, we provide syntheses of best practices during the siting, design, construction, operation, and compensation phases of hydropower development to minimize impacts on inland fish. For each phase, we offer positive examples (or what might be considered ‘bright spots’) pertaining to some of the approaches described within our syntheses, acknowledging that these projects may not be viewed as without ecological and (or) societal detriment by all stakeholders. Our findings underscore the importance of protecting critical habitat and free-flowing river reaches through careful site selection and basin-scale planning, infrastructure designs that minimize reservoir effects and facilitate safe passage of fish, construction of hydropower plants using best practices that minimize long-term damage, operating guidelines that mimic natural flow conditions, and compensation that is lasting, effective, inclusive, and locally relevant. Learning from these ‘bright spots’ may require engagement of diverse stakeholders, professionals, and governments at scales that extend well beyond a given site, river, or even basin. Indeed, environmental planning that integrates hydropower development into broader discussions of conserving regional biodiversity and ecosystem services will be of utmost importance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735122000051MigrationDamsSalmonHydroelectricFlowSocioecological |
| spellingShingle | William M. Twardek Ian G. Cowx Nicolas W.R. Lapointe Craig Paukert T. Douglas Beard Elena M. Bennett David Browne Andrew K. Carlson Keith D. Clarke Zeb Hogan Kai Lorenzen Abigail J. Lynch Peter B. McIntyre Paulo Pompeu Mark Rogers Alexis Sakas William W. Taylor Taylor D. Ward Zeenatul Basher Steven J. Cooke Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development Water Biology and Security Migration Dams Salmon Hydroelectric Flow Socioecological |
| title | Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| title_full | Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| title_fullStr | Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| title_short | Bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| title_sort | bright spots for inland fish and fisheries to guide future hydropower development |
| topic | Migration Dams Salmon Hydroelectric Flow Socioecological |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735122000051 |
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