Dams and infrastructure
Dams
More than 48,000 large dams are in operation worldwide. They help to provide drinking water, irrigate the land, produce hydroelectricity and prevent floods.
However, dams can destroy freshwater habitats, disconnect rivers from their floodplains, and alter the natural ebb and flow on which a river’s plants and animals depend.
WWF is concerned that indiscriminate construction of dams is threatening the world's largest and most important rivers. We have identified 21 rivers at most risk from dams that are being planned or are under construction. In particular, we consider that with the numbers of additional dams on the Yangtze in China, the La Plata in South America, and the Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East, these are the rivers that will lose most of their natural characteristics and the environmental services they provide to local populations, such as fisheries and floodplain agriculture.
More than 60% of the world's 227 largest rivers have been fragmented by dams, leading to the destruction of wetlands, a decline in freshwater species including river dolphins, fish, and birds, and the forced displacement of tens of millions of people. It is crucial to learn from past mistakes and protect the remaining free-flowing rivers.
A recent WWF report, Rivers at Risk highlights these issues, and notes that the Yangtze is the river at most risk, with 46 large dams planned or under construction.
Solutions
WWF-UK supports work carried out by the WWF Network on dams and infrastructure. Field programmes in a number of regions are developing alternatives to destructive dams and cooperating with river basin commissions, ministries of water and power, utilities, irrigation departments and others to implement more sustainable solutions to water and energy needs.
Read more about WWF International’s work on dams