Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River

Policies for promoting sustainable development of dam projects in the world have always been an argument due to the negative impacts on ecosystems. How to improve the efficiency of identifying the impacts and main indicators in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and post environmental...

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Main Authors: Ang Chen, Miao Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/16/2572
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author Ang Chen
Miao Wu
author_facet Ang Chen
Miao Wu
author_sort Ang Chen
collection DOAJ
description Policies for promoting sustainable development of dam projects in the world have always been an argument due to the negative impacts on ecosystems. How to improve the efficiency of identifying the impacts and main indicators in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and post environmental impact assessment (PEIA) process is a common topic. Since the rapid dam construction in the past decades, most dam projects in China have turned to operation period. In order to identify the main impacts and provide scientific bases for the decision-making process, we optimized and applied the decision-support prototype (DSP) toolkit on the cascade dam projects on the Yangtze River. Through the optimization of the module and tools, the modified DSP was more applicable for China’s dams. Though the modified DSP cannot replace large-scale assessments for dam projects, it would assist the EIA and PEIA process by identifying the most relevant environmental concerns and knowledge gaps at early stages of negotiation, so that more attention can be focused on subsequent studies and evaluative processes. On the other hand, some new limitations were found in our practice. In response to the limitations, we propose several suggestions: (1) SBQ: to introduce a factor to balance the proportion evaluation result of new developed dams and existing dams in the study; (2) SBQ: to consider more about interactions between cascade dam projects and their impacts on different spatial scales; (3) EEM, extend the parameters for generating EEM from dams in areas outside of the U.S.
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spelling doaj.art-ff18b5f4fba5426c81973f3e2af8b9ad2023-12-03T14:41:14ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-08-011416257210.3390/w14162572Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze RiverAng Chen0Miao Wu1Institute of Science and Technology, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 100038, ChinaCollege of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaPolicies for promoting sustainable development of dam projects in the world have always been an argument due to the negative impacts on ecosystems. How to improve the efficiency of identifying the impacts and main indicators in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and post environmental impact assessment (PEIA) process is a common topic. Since the rapid dam construction in the past decades, most dam projects in China have turned to operation period. In order to identify the main impacts and provide scientific bases for the decision-making process, we optimized and applied the decision-support prototype (DSP) toolkit on the cascade dam projects on the Yangtze River. Through the optimization of the module and tools, the modified DSP was more applicable for China’s dams. Though the modified DSP cannot replace large-scale assessments for dam projects, it would assist the EIA and PEIA process by identifying the most relevant environmental concerns and knowledge gaps at early stages of negotiation, so that more attention can be focused on subsequent studies and evaluative processes. On the other hand, some new limitations were found in our practice. In response to the limitations, we propose several suggestions: (1) SBQ: to introduce a factor to balance the proportion evaluation result of new developed dams and existing dams in the study; (2) SBQ: to consider more about interactions between cascade dam projects and their impacts on different spatial scales; (3) EEM, extend the parameters for generating EEM from dams in areas outside of the U.S.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/16/2572environmental impact assessmentevidence-based indicatorhydropowerdamsriver function
spellingShingle Ang Chen
Miao Wu
Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
Water
environmental impact assessment
evidence-based indicator
hydropower
dams
river function
title Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
title_full Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
title_fullStr Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
title_full_unstemmed Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
title_short Evidence-Based Indicator Approach to Identify Environmental Impacts of Cascade Dam Projects: A Case Study of Cascade Dam Projects on the Yangtze River
title_sort evidence based indicator approach to identify environmental impacts of cascade dam projects a case study of cascade dam projects on the yangtze river
topic environmental impact assessment
evidence-based indicator
hydropower
dams
river function
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/16/2572
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