Xuezhong Yu · Daming He Phouvin Phousavanh Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in the Lancang River Basin Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in the Lancang River Basin Xuezhong Yu • Daming He • Phouvin Phousavanh Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in the Lancang River Basin Xuezhong Yu Daming He Ecofish Research Ltd. Asian International Rivers Center Vancouver, BC, Canada Yunnan University Kunming, Yunnan, China Phouvin Phousavanh Faculty of Agriculture National University of Laos Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic ISBN 978-981-13-1564-0 ISBN 978-981-13-1565-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1565-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018955289 © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Preface Hydropower development is the primary influence on river health in the Lancang River Basin, and it also affects the ecosystem of Mekong River. However, hydro- power developers are short of knowledge on the state of river health and the impacts of hydropower projects in general and how best to mitigate and compensate for these impacts at a basin level. Meanwhile, institutions and communities in down- stream countries do not have adequate information and opportunity to understand transboundary environmental effects of hydropower projects on the Lancang River. From 2015 to 2017, an international team including scientists and engineers from Canada, China, and Laos was established to explore approaches for balancing river health and hydropower requirements in the Lancang River Basin. With a vision of integrating ecological values and social values, we assessed river health of the Lancang River Basin with respect to the impacts of hydropower projects. A state and impact assessment framework was developed and applied to evaluate river health and the impacts of hydropower projects. Based on the evaluation and com- parison to international best practices, the environmental mitigation and compensa- tion measures of hydropower projects were studied at a basin level to fill existing knowledge gaps in the Lancang River Basin. This work can help to improve knowl- edge, skills, and the practice of sustainable hydropower development, including those in the Lancang River Basin. We studied key components of transboundary effects including hydrology, sediment transport, water temperature, and fish com- munity. The research work and communication activities strengthened dialog and communication on transboundary effects of hydropower projects on the Lancang River. The team also studied the specific needs of women, the specific impacts on women’s lives and livelihood, and the factors that influence women’s participation in river health management. The gender study is helpful for enhancing awareness and involvement of women in river health assessment and management. Based on the policy and practice analysis, the experience and lessons of environmental pro- tection of hydropower development in the Lancang River Basin were shared with hydropower developers and regulators in Laos for improving their knowledge and skills of environmental protection. v vi Preface Team members are from Ecofish Research Ltd. (Canada); Asian International Rivers Center, Yunnan University (China); and the Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos (Laos). The authors of each chapter are Xuezhong Yu and Daming He (Chap. 1); Xuezhong Yu, Andrew Harwood, and Heidi Regehr (Chap. 2); Xuezhong Yu and Andrew Harwood (Chap. 3); Yungang Li, Daming He, Xian Luo, and Xuan Ji (Chap. 4); Ying Lu and Daming He (Chap. 5); Kaidao Fu (Chap. 6); Chengzhi Ding, Chao Zhang, and Liqiang Chen (Chap. 7); Yanbo Li and Wenling Wang (Chap. 8); Phousavanh Phouvin and Xuezhong Yu (Chap. 9); and Xuezhong Yu and Heidi Regehr (Chap. 10). The constructive and thoughtful reviews and com- ments of Susan Johnson, Autumn Cousins, Deborah Lacroix, and Todd Hatfield are highly appreciated. This work was funded by the CGIAR (4500025375). We would like to thank all donors who supported this work through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund. Vancouver, BC, Canada Xuezhong Yu Kunming, Yunnan, China Daming He Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic Phouvin Phousavanh Contents 1 Introduction ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1 1.1 Project Purpose and Objectives . 2 1.2 Project Setting . 3 1.2.1 Study Area . 3 1.2.2 Hydropower Development ������������������������������������������������������ 3 1.3 Project Goals and Outputs ������������������������������������������������������������������ 7 1.4 General Approach . 7 1.4.1 Identification of River Health Indicators �������������������������������� 8 1.4.2 Assessment of River Health and Hydropower Impacts ���������� 9 1.4.3 Recommendations and Experience Sharing. 9 1.4.4 Gender Impact of Hydropower Projects . 10 References ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 2 River Health Assessment . 13 2.1 Background . 13 2.1.1 Concept and Definition of River Health . 13 2.1.2 Assessment of River Health ���������������������������������������������������� 15 2.1.3 Hydropower Impacts on River Health ������������������������������������ 16 2.2 Methods . 18 2.2.1 Overview . 18 2.2.2 Identification of River Health Indicators �������������������������������� 19 2.2.3 Reference Values and Scoring Assignment . 20 2.2.4 Assessment Indicators . 23 2.3 Results and Discussion . 37 2.3.1 Physical and Chemical Indicators . 37 2.3.2 Biological Indicators . 47 2.3.3 Social Indicators. 53 2.3.4 Combining Indicator Scores . 64 2.4 Conclusions . 66 References ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 68 vii viii Contents 3 Improving River Health Through Mitigation and Monitoring . 75 3.1 Background . 75 3.2 Methods . 76 3.3 Results and Discussion . 77 3.3.1 Existing Avoidance, Mitigation, and Compensation Measures . 77 3.3.2 Existing Environmental Management Framework . 85 3.3.3 Existing Monitoring Programs ���������������������������������������������� 88 3.4 Conclusions and Recommendations . 94 3.4.1 Improving Environmental Mitigation and Compensation Measures ������������������������������������������������ 94 3.4.2 Improving Environmental Management . 97 3.4.3 Framework for a River Health Monitoring Program ������������ 98 References �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 105 4 Transboundary Environmental Effects of Hydropower: Hydrology . 109 4.1 Overview . 110 4.2 Methods . 112 4.3 Results and Discussion . 113 4.3.1 Water Level . 113 4.3.2 Discharge ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 119 4.3.3 Comparison to Other Studies ������������������������������������������������ 134 4.4 Conclusions . 136 References �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 137 5 Transboundary Environmental Effects of Hydropower: Water Temperature ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 139 5.1 Overview . 139 5.1.1 Nuozhadu-Jinghong Reach . 141 5.1.2 Jinghong-Guanlei Reach . 141 5.1.3 South of the Chinese Border (Chiang Saen) . 143 5.2 Methods . 143 5.2.1 Data Collection . 143 5.2.2 Modeling . 145 5.3 Results and Discussion . 147 5.3.1 Nuozhadu-Jinghong Reach . 147 5.3.2 Jinghong-Guanlei Reach . 151 5.3.3 South of the Chinese Border (Chiang Saen) . 155 5.4 Conclusions . 158 Reference . 159 6 Transboundary Environmental Effects of Hydropower: Sediment Transport and Geomorphology . 161 6.1 Overview . 161 6.1.1 Topography, Climate, Soil Erosion, and Sediment Load ������ 162 6.1.2 Channel Morphology ������������������������������������������������������������ 163 Contents ix 6.2 Methods . 163 6.2.1 Sediment Load and Transport . 163 6.2.2 Channel Geomorphology ������������������������������������������������������ 164 6.3 Results and Discussion . 166 6.3.1 Sediment Load and Transport . 166 6.3.2 Channel Geomorphology ������������������������������������������������������
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