Two recent studies published in Biological Conservation and Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, led by researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlight the profound impacts of hydropower on biodiversity in river channels and at the land-water surface.

The studies demonstrate that these effects arise from impoundment upstream of the dams, disruptions to the natural flow, sediment, and thermal regimes in downstream channels and floodplains, altering habitat conditions and environmental cues vital for many species to complete their life cycles.

The authors provide an overview of measures aimed at mitigating these adverse effects. They underscore the importance of systematic planning, long-term monitoring, adaptive management, and decision-making involving multiple actors to ensure sustainable development and call for a critical reassessment of hydropower’s status as an often claimed environmentally friendly energy source.