Reports

International Rivers produces in-depth reports on a number of issues affecting the world's rivers and the people who depend on them. All of our materials are available for free, and can be downloaded from our website and reprinted without restriction. 

Learn more about our other publications here.

Below is a complete list of our reports, sorted chronologically.

 
Independent Technical Review: NT2 Hydrology IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an independent review of the hydrologic treatment of the Nam Theun 2 project, contained in the Environmental Assessment and Management Plan (EAMP... 01.20.05
Beyond Dams: Options & Alternatives By design, dams alter the natural flow regime, and with it virtually every aspect of a river ecosystem, including water quality, sediment transport and deposition, fish migrations and... 01.04.05
Independent Technical Review: Compensation for Communities Living Along the Xe Bang Fai River IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an indendpdent review of the proposed mitigation and compensation program for the affected villages along the mainstream Xe Bang Fai and its... 01.01.05
Independent Technical Review: NT2 Impacts on Xe Bang Fai Fisheries IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an independent review of the NT2 Environmental Assessment and Management Plan's (EAMP) predictions of fisheries impacts in the Xe Bang Fai river.... 01.01.05
Independent Technical Review: NT2 Water Quality Assessment IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an independent review of the water quality assessment contained in the Nam Theun 2 Environmental Assessment and Management Plan (EAMP). The review... 01.01.05
Independent Technical Review: NT2 Agriculture and Livestock Development Plan IRN and Environmental Defense commissioned an independent review of the Nam Theun 2 Social Development Plan's (SDP) program for agricultural and livestock development. This program forms... 01.01.05
Excerpts from ADB's Audit Report on the Nam Leuk Hydropower Project The ADB’s Operations Evaluation Department (OED) commissioned the Nam Leuk Project Performance Audit Report (PPAR) to assess the Nam Leuk Hydropower Project’s development impact "to... 12.07.04
The Forgotten Victims of the Nam Leuk Dam in Laos Villagers living downstream of Nam Leuk Dam continue to suffer loss of fisheries and water quality problems as a result of the Asian Development Bank–funded Nam Leuk Dam in Laos. This... 12.01.04
Tropical Hydro is a Significant Source of Greenhouse Gases: A Response to the International Hydropower Association The International Hydropower Association released a four–page document entitled "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoirs" at the UN climate convention negotiations in Milan in December... 12.01.04
A Preliminary Review of the Impact of Dam Reservoirs on Carbon Cycling Abstract The International Hydropower Association (IHA) asserts that hydropower has a very low, or even positive impact on climate change because reservoirs (i.e., artificial lakes)... 11.01.04
12 Reasons to Exclude Large Hydro from Renewables Initiatives Eradicating poverty and reducing global warming are two of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. The urgent need to address these challenges has led to many... 06.01.04
Sizing Up the Grid: How the Mekong Power Grid Compares Against the Policies of the Asian Development Bank 01.01.04
Safeguarding EU Emissions Trading - Setting Rules for Hydro Briefing for the European Parliament.Prepared by International Rivers, Greenpeace and CDMWatchThe proposed directive1 linking the EU emissions trading scheme with the flexible mechanisms of... 10.20.03
New Lao Dam Embroiled In Controversy: Report from a Fact-Finding Mission to the Nam Mang 3 Hydropower Project On November 22, 2002, an unprecedented protest took place in Laos. Some 40 ethnic Hmong men from Ban Phou Khao Khouay marched to the site of the Nam Mang 3 Hydropower Project armed with... 05.01.03
Human Rights Dammed Off at Three Gorges This eyewitness report published by International Rivers Network documents resettlement and human rights problems at the Three Gorges Dam, published in January 2003. 01.20.03
A Review of the Power Purchase Agreement Between the Republic of the Philippines National Power Corporation and a consortium constituting the San Roque Power Corporation concerning the construction and operation of the San Roque... 11.17.01
Reservoir Emissions: Excerpt from Silenced Rivers Excerpted from the new introduction of the updated 2001 edition of: Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams It’s baloney and it’s much overblown . . . Methane is... 10.17.01
Evaluating the LHWP Against WCD Guidelines Africa’s largest infrastructure project the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is a massive, multi–dam scheme built to divert water from Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains to South Africa’s... 08.14.01
A Review of the Theun-Hinboun Power Company's Mitigation and Compensation Program In September, 2000 the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) released its Mitigation and Compensation Program (MCP) Report. This briefing paper was commissioned by International Rivers Network... 12.19.00
An Update on the Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts of the Nam Theun-Hinboun Dam This field report is based on a 1999 survey of villages affected by the Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project. Investigations were primarily conducted to evaluate whether the process for... 08.17.99
Power Struggle: The Impacts of Hydro-Development in Laos In February 1998, during a dialogue with Lao government officials, International Rivers Network was encouraged to visit the Lao countryside and some dam sites. As a result, International... 02.01.99
Trouble on the Theun-Hinboun A Field Report on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Effects of the Nam Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project in Laos This landmark publication by International Rivers Network was the first... 04.01.98
The River Dragon Has Come! Dai Qing As officials prepare to divert China’s mighty Yangtze River to build the world’s largest dam, Chinese journalist Dai Qing has released a new book of critical essays about the... Dai Qing 01.01.98
River Dolphins: Can They Be Saved? River dolphins are small, aquatic mammals which belong to the order Cetacea. Scientists today classify river dolphins as endangered species because many populations have declined in recent... 12.22.94

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