REOPTIMIZING GLOBAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS TO RESTORE FLOODPLAIN ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN LIVELIHOODS

摘要

The ultimate objective of the Global Survey project is to restore natural ecologicalrnfunctions, environmental services and the livelihoods they support to the downstreamrnfloodplains below the major dams of the world. There are today some 45,000 large damsrnoperating in the world, the majority of which were built after World War II, and twothirdsrnof which are located in developing countries. Designed with a focus on economicrnand social benefits, these hydraulic projects have endangered the livelihoods of localrncommunities who depend on rivers and their floodplains for their nutrition andrnlivelihoods. In addition, they have caused pervasive damage to freshwater, riparian andrnestuarine ecosystems that support these human production systems.rnYet recent studies suggest that such damage to natural systems and riparian communitiesrnis often unnecessary and can be reversed by modifying the operations of these facilities inrnways that do not significantly reduce-and can sometimes even enhance-theirrnirrigation, power generation, and flood control benefits. Building on the potential of thisrnrecent work, NHI and its partners are undertaking a global inventory of the mostrnpromising opportunities and techniques to modify the operations of major water storagernand diversion projects.