Researchers conclude in a new report that a global push for
small hydropower projects, supported by various nations and also the Kyoto
Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may cause unanticipated and
potentially significant losses of habitat and biodiversity.
An underlying assumption that small hydropower systems pose
fewer ecological concerns than large dams is not universally valid, scientists
said in the report. A five-year study, one of the first of its type, concluded
that for certain environmental impacts the cumulative damage caused by small
dams is worse than their larger counterparts.