The development of biodiversity conservation measures in China's hydro projects: A review

Ruiqiao Bai; Xuehua Liu; Xiaofei Liu; Lanmei Liu; Jianping Wang; Sihui Liao; Annah Zhu; Zhouyuan Li

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2017.09.007

The development of biodiversity conservation measures in China's hydro projects: A review

Environ Int. 2017 Nov:108:285-298. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.09.007. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Authors

Ruiqiao Bai¹, Xuehua Liu², Xiaofei Liu³, Lanmei Liu³, Jianping Wang⁴, Sihui Liao⁴, Annah Zhu⁵, Zhouyuan Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: stu07010611@sina.com.
² State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: xuehua-hjx@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
³ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Development Research Center, Ministry of Water Resources, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
⁶ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China; Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: zhouyuan.li2009@gmail.com.

PMID: 28918369
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.09.007

Abstract

The hydropower capacity of China ranks first in the world and accounts for approximately 20% of the total energy production in the country. While hydropower has substantially contributed to meeting China's renewable energy targets and providing clean energy to rural areas, the development of hydropower in China has been met with significant controversy. Ecologically, hydro projects alter the landscape, with potential impacts to the country's aquatic biodiversity. Over the past four decades in China, various mainstream opinions and misunderstandings have been presented concerning how to alleviate the negative impacts of hydro projects on aquatic ecosystems. This article reviews research concerning potential mitigation measures to enhance aquatic biodiversity conservation in hydro projects in China. Based on the academic attention such research has attracted, three technical measures for aquatic biodiversity conservation are considered: (1) fish passages, (2) restocking efforts and (3) river and lake renovations. This article provides a historical comparison of these three practices in China to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The article also reviews the relevant legislation, regulations and technical guidelines concerning China's hydro projects dating back to 1979. The dynamics in research, publications, and patents concerning these three mitigation measures are summarized to demonstrate their technological developments in the context of legislative and policy advances. Data were gathered through the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. Based on the analysis provided, the article recommends an expansion of China's environmental certification system for hydro projects, more robust regional legislation to bolster the national framework, the cooperation between upstream and downstream conservation mechanisms, and better monitoring to determine the efficacy of mitigation measures.

Keywords: Biodiversity conservation; China; Hydropower; Policy; Research.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Biodiversity*
China
Conservation of Water Resources*
Ecosystem
Plants
Power Plants*
Rivers