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.

 
Xayaburi Dam: How Laos Violated the 1995 Mekong Agreement The 1995 Mekong Agreement is the framework that Southeast Asian governments use to decide whether the build dams on the Mekong River, but it remains poorly understood. Construction is now... 01.28.13
Gibe III's Impacts on Lake Turkana East Africa's “Aral Sea” in the Making?“If Ethiopia completes the Gibe III Dam and continues to press ahead with large-scale irrigation developments, the result will be a cascade of... Pulling in fishing nets at Lake Turkana 12.17.12
A Proposed Power Development Plan for Thailand 2012 Thailand’s Power Development Plan (PDP) is the master investment plan for the country’s power system development prepared by the state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand... 10.12.12
3S Rivers Under Threat In order to better understand the challenges confronting the 3S Rivers region’s natural resources and its people, this report from International Rivers and the 3S Rivers Protection... 10.03.12
The Xayaburi Dam: Threatening Food Security in the Mekong Even during the early stages of construction on the Xayaburi Dam, food insecurity is growing as communities lose access to the Mekong River resources on which they depend. 09.12.12
A Risky Climate for Southern African Hydro Este estudo aprofundado adverte que as novas barragens, assim como as propostas no maior rio da África Austral não estão suficientemente preparadas para resistir aos choques das mudanças... The 13 major sub-basins of the Zambezi River Basin. 09.10.12
Norway's Role in Global Hydropower In a new report, we survey Norway’s diverse forms of support for the global hydropower sector, and examine some of its surrounding controversies. 08.29.12
Will Safeguards Survive the Next Generation of Development Finance? Each year, international institutions such as the World Bank and United Nations invest in activities that contribute to broader goals — such as economic growth, food production, or... 07.12.12
An Alternative Power Development Plan for Guatemala The purpose of this study is to critically examine the government’s electricity development plans and to determine if there is a more sustainable and economically efficient solution to meet... Energize Guatemala: Proposal for a Sustainable Energy Plan 06.28.12
The Brazilian Electricity Sector and Sustainability in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges A segunda edição revista e ampliada do relatório O Setor Elétrico Brasileiro e a Sustentabilidade no Século 21 – Oportunidades e Desafios é uma contribuição da sociedade civil brasileira... 06.19.12
Communities protect rivers and strengthen climate resilience in Bangladesh Bangladesh is one of the countries most seriously threatened by the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and increasing flood risks. Community-based river basin management... 05.18.12
Infrastructure for Whom? This report by International Rivers challenges the top-down approach to infrastructure projects promoted by the World Bank and the powerful Group of 20, and presents a better way. Access... 05.10.12
La gran estafa de las compensaciones de carbono Con la excusa de promover el desarrollo sostenible, el Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio, el sistema más importante de compensación de carbono, se ha convertido en un juego sucio que aumenta... 04.09.12
Advancements in the Field of Reservoir Emissons Dead trees in the Petit Saut reservoir, French Guiana A Briefing on Recent Research and GuidelinesA large and growing number of scientific studies indicate that reservoirs, especially in... Dead trees in the Petit Saut reservoir, French Guiana 12.02.11
Review of the Pöyry Report on the Xayaburi Dam In May 2011, the Lao PDR government hired Swiss engineering company Pöyry Energy AG to review the proposed Xayaburi Dam's compliance with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) requirements... 11.08.11
Technical Review of the Xayaburi Environmental Impact Assessment The site of the proposed Xayaburi Dam In April 2011, five international Mekong specialists carried out a critical analysis of the Xayaburi Dam Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The... 10.05.11
The Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River: A Briefing 1. BackgroundProject Overview The Myitsone Hydroelectric Project is located at the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers and is the largest of seven dams (total capacity 13,360 MW)... 09.28.11
Manual del Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio Esta segunda edición del manual sobre el Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio (MDL o CDM por sus siglas en inglés Clean Development Mechanism) fue diseñado para ONGs, activistas y ciudadanos... 11.04.10
Proteccion de Rios y Derechos: Recomendaciones de la Comision Mundia de Represas - Diez Anhos Despues Diez anhos despues de la publicacion del Informe de la Comision Mundial de Represas. Esta guía informativa se centra en las principales categorías de recomendaciones de la CMR: (1)... 11.04.10
Feeding Southeast Asia: Mekong River Fisheries and Regional Food Security The Mekong River supports the world’s largest inland fishery. Its economic worth at first-sale value is at least US$2 billion per year and up to US$9.4 billion per year taking into account... 07.27.10
Thailand’s Commercial Banks’ Role in Financing Dams in Laos and the Case for Sustainable Banking Thailand’s commercial banks are increasingly lending to neighboring Mekong countries, including to hydropower projects in Laos. The dams that they have financed to date, namely Nam Theun 2... 07.27.10
Protecting Rivers & Rights: World Commission on Dams Recommendations in Action The most comprehensive guidelines for large dams that protect the rights of river-dependent communities were outlined by the World Commission on Dams (WCD) in 2000. Ten years later,... 06.30.10
A Conexão Hidrelétricas e Alumínio Close to half of all energy consumed by the aluminum industry comes from hydroelectric dams, and the industry believes that this percentage will increase in the coming years. The size of... 05.04.10
A Green Energy Plan for Mozambique Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers Lori Pottinger Mozambique has among the lowest uses of electricity in the world. Yet virtually all of the electricity it does produce from... Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers 02.10.10
Theun-Hinboun: Expanding Failure An assessment of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project’s compliance with Equator Principles and Lao law The Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project – a dam and diversion project under construction... 11.17.09
China, Africa and the Environment A Briefing Paper on the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation The fourth summit conference of the Forum for China Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) takes place in Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt, on November... 11.05.09
A Critique of the IHA’s Draft Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol In 2008, the International Hydropower Association (IHA), in collaboration with other partners, established the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum (Forum) to create a new evaluation... 10.20.09
Belo Monte Experts Panel Report The true costs of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Project, planned for the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon, have been revealed in an independent review by a panel of 40 specialists. The... 10.10.09
Resumo Executivo: Painel de Especialistas Examina Viabilidade de Belo Monte Resumo Executivo do relatório do Painel de Especialistas sobre Belo Monte 10.10.09
Análise Crítica do Estudo de Impacto Ambiental Belo Monte Especialistas vinculados a diversas Instituições de Ensino e Pesquisa identificam e analisam, de acordo com a sua especialidade, graves problemas e sérias lacunas no EIA de Belo Monte. 10.10.09

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