Report

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 secondary industries. Yet, whilst contributing significantly to the regional economy, economic data such as this fails to capture the fisheries’ total value. From riverside communities to urban areas, throughout the Mekong Region, the river’s wild-capture fish are a vital source of animal protein and nutrients, making them central to regional food security.This paper outlines the importance of the Meko

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, International Rivers is happy to announce a new briefing kit for activists and allies, "Protecting Rivers and Rights: The World Commission on Dams Recommendations in Action," as part of our WCD+10 activities to move the dams debate forward. The purpose of this publication is to provide activists with concrete examples of where and how the WCD principles have been applied, and what happened when they were ignored.

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 this increase will depend both on the industry's assimilation of social and environmental costs created by the dams in cost-benefit calculations, and on a better comprehension of the effects of hydroelectric dams on climate change through their release of methane and CO2.

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 Dam on the Zambezi is shipped to its wealthy neighbor, South Africa. As the government prepares to build another costly large dam on the Zambezi that will also power South Africa rather than homes and businesses in Mozambique, a new report lays out a saner plan for developing renewable energy sources across the nation that would share the energy wealth more equitably; diversify the national ele

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 in Central Laos – violates the Equator Principles and Lao law, according to this report. Expanding Failure documents how Lao villagers are being sold down the river in a hydro deal that will displace thousands of people from their homes and land, and deprive thousands more of access to fertile rice fields, riverbank vegetable gardens, grazing lands, forests and fisheries. The dam project undermines loca

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 8-9, 2009. The FOCAC process has so far resulted in an impressive strengthening of the cooperation between China and Africa, and has reduced Africa's dependency on Western powers. Yet from a civil society perspective, the process has two fundamental shortcomings: It has boosted financial and economic cooperation, but has so far neglected to deal seriously with the environmental challenges that have arisen a

In 2008, the International Hydropower Association (IHA), in collaboration with other partners, established the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum (Forum) to create a new evaluation tool for hydropower projects. The 14 Forum members - from government, industry, funding agencies and four NGOs - have been conducting their work primarily in closed meetings, although documents have been disclosed on the IHA website. The draft Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (Protocol) was disclosed in August 2009 and will be finalized in early 2010. The Forum is soliciting comments on the Pro

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 panel found that the dam would have serious consequences for the region, its inhabitants, and ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest. The panel - comprised of scientists from major Brazilian research institutions - reviewed the project's environmental impact assessment and delivered a 230-page report to Ibama, the Brazilian government's environmental agency, on October 1st, 2009. One of the mo

Resumo Executivo do relatório do Painel de Especialistas sobre 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.