Spatiotemporal analysis of hydropower projects with terrestrial environmentally sensitive areas of Nepal

Ghimire, Hemant R; Phuyal, Sunita

doi:10.1016/j.envc.2022.100598

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Road development (SDG 9), in particular, is a significant threat to future conservation efforts in Nepal, as the country aims to expand its road infrastructure significantly over the next decade, including through protected areas (Quintana et al, 2022). Similarly, despite examples of the negative impacts of hydropower projects (SDG 7) on biodiversity and the environment (Anderson et al, 2018; Jumani et al, 2017), more than half of all future hydropower projects lie within Nepal's highly biodiverse areas (Ghimire & Phuyal, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi‐methods approach for assessing how conserving biodiversity interacts with other sustainable development goals in Nepal

Adhikari

Urbach

Chettri

et al. 2023

Sustainable Development

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Achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) requires a context‐specific understanding of how actions to achieve one goal interact with others. We analyzed statistical data, and conducted online surveys and interviews with conservation professionals to understand how terrestrial conservation goals (SDG 15: Life on land) influence and are influenced by other goals in Nepal. Our findings suggest that SDG 15 synergized with economic growth (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), water access (SDG 6), sustainable production and consumption (SDG 12), and climate action (SDG 13), but traded off with food security (SDG 2), energy access (SDG 7), poverty alleviation (SDG 1), and infrastructure development (SDG 9). Increased multi‐sectoral collaboration between conservation and development stakeholders is urgently needed to address the negative impacts of other goals on SDG 15. Additionally, conservation measures in Nepal can benefit from being more people‐focused, participatory, and contextualized to mitigate negative impacts on socioeconomic goals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi‐methods approach for assessing how conserving biodiversity interacts with other sustainable development goals in Nepal

Adhikari

Urbach

Chettri

et al. 2023

Sustainable Development

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“…According to the Niti Hydropower portal, 81 hydropower projects are currently operational, 180 are under construction, and 311 have been surveyed. Among those, 58 projects under construction are more than 20 MW (Anon., n.d.), and the majority of hydropowers are located in environmentally sensitive areas and anticipated to increase in the future (Ghimire & Phuyal, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disregard of aquatic shrews in the Environmental Impact Assessment reports regarding hydropower dams in the Nepal Himalayas

Dahal,

Neupane,

Baral

et al. 2024

River Research & Apps

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The rate of hydropower dam construction on rivers is increasing in emerging economies in South Asia, to achieve economic development goals. These large infrastructure projects are likely to have many negative consequences on freshwater species but have not yet received much consideration. Among freshwater small mammalian species, water shrews are seriously impacted by these large structures. This paper aims to determine if water shrews have been considered during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these hydro dam project sites, as well as present the sightings of the water shrews from Nepalese rivers with hydropower potential. We reviewed 44 EIA reports of such projects in Nepal using a set of four criteria and 15 questions to analyze the methods of impact assessment for mammals and the reports on the presence of water shrews in each built area. The study found that the number of mammal species reported during the EIA varied from five to 55 species but no relationships between the hydropower structure's size and any water shrew species were considered in the studies. In almost all EIA reports, the term aquatic ecosystem was prioritized over the term aquatic small mammals, and the latter was not considered in the assessment. The major reason for not considering these species is probably due to the lack of robust methods to capture small mammals such as shrews, or due to survey methods focused only on terrestrial mammals. The Aquatic Animal Protection Act was fully reviewed and assured to be followed in a majority of the reports, yet the monitoring parameters and indicators were not available for aquatic small mammals. Ignoring the presence of these mammals while constructing hydropower plants is a serious threat to their persistence. We also reported the Himalayan water shrew in the Barun River and the elegant water shrew in the Upper Tamakoshi River of Nepal. Therefore, a better understanding of these species among hydropower developers, and all concerned agencies, is essential.

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Socio-environmental impacts of hydropower construction in Burundi

Ndayiragije,

Nkunzimana

2024

Heliyon

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Spatiotemporal analysis of hydropower projects with terrestrial environmentally sensitive areas of Nepal

Cited by 3 publications

References 73 publications

A multi‐methods approach for assessing how conserving biodiversity interacts with other sustainable development goals in Nepal

A multi‐methods approach for assessing how conserving biodiversity interacts with other sustainable development goals in Nepal

Disregard of aquatic shrews in the Environmental Impact Assessment reports regarding hydropower dams in the Nepal Himalayas

Socio-environmental impacts of hydropower construction in Burundi

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