2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF SMALL HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN GHATS, A TROPICAL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT IN INDIA | Virtual Platform
SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF SMALL HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN GHATS, A TROPICAL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT IN INDIA
Small hydropower projects (SHPs) are being widely promoted as environmentally benign and socially beneficial sources of renewable energy, particularly in tropical developing countries. In the Western Ghats of Karnataka state alone ~500 SHPs have been proposed in addition to ~110 SHPs that already exist as of 2015. Our study is the first to assess the ecological and social impacts of a cluster of four SHPs in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India. Field work was conducted in 2014 to quantify ecological impacts with respect to freshwater fish assemblages and water quality parameters. Social surveys were also conducted with local communities to understand perceived impacts of SHPs on socio-economic activities, resource access and human-animal conflict. SHPs were found to adversely affect fish species richness, diversity and community dissimilarity, particularly in dewatered stream reaches. In terms of social impacts, SHP construction coincided with the sudden onset of human-elephant conflict. Further, assured project benefits were not realized while additional costs were imposed on local communities. This study compliments the growing scientific evidence that SHPs are not socio-ecologically benign. Our findings make a strong case for operational changes and policy interventions regarding SHPs.
- Ecosystem functioning
- Aquatic–terrestrial biodiversity
- Conservation
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Presenters/Authors
Siddarth Machado
(), University of Florida, siddarthmachado@ufl.edu;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Suman Jumani
(), University of Florida, sumanjumani@ufl.edu;
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