2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/23/2019 | 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM | RIVERINE FRAGMENTATION BY SMALL HYDROPOWER DAMS THREATEN BRAZILIAN MIGRATORY FISHES | 250 DE
RIVERINE FRAGMENTATION BY SMALL HYDROPOWER DAMS THREATEN BRAZILIAN MIGRATORY FISHES
Small hydropower plants (SHPs) are proliferating worldwide due to incentives for renewable energy. The main conservation challenge is that SHPs are considerably more abundant compared to Large Hydropower Plants (LHPs; global ratio of 11: 1), potentially causing greater habitat fragmentation and thus representing a major threat to migratory fish. Here, we quantify current and projected-future fragmentation of watersheds by hydropower dams across Brazil (using the Dendritic Connectivity Index, DCI), compare the relative contributions of SHP vs. LHP to levels of fragmentation, and assess the vulnerability of migratory fish to future hydropower development. On average, SHPs contribute five times more to future DCI loss in comparison to LHPs, primarily due to the construction of new SHPs in hydropower-free basins. Sub-basins located in the Tapajos, Tocantins, Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay basins are expected to experience the greatest loss of connectivity. Migratory fish that inhabit mid-sized rivers tend to be more vulnerable to SHPs, like the 12 red-listed species of the genus Brycon and Steindachneridion. This study reinforces the need for environmental regulations that look beyond individual projects to consider the cumulative ecological effects of SHPs, an issue still overlooked by environmental policies.
- Dams
- Connectivity
- Conservation
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Presenters/Authors
Thiago Couto
(), Florida International University, tbelisar@fiu.edu;
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Mathis L. Messager
(), Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada | RiverLy Research Unit, INRAE, France, mathis.messager@mail.mcgill.ca;
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Julian Olden
(), University of Washington, olden@uw.edu;
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