Larger is not always better
A landscape-based hydroecological-economic tradeoff analysis of the impacts of cascading dams in India
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Abstract
The natural flows of rivers have been heavily modified in the process of development and economic growth across the basins of the world. This hydrological change affects river ecosystems and their provision of diverse services to society, threatening biodiversity and sustainable basin development. Reservoir construction is one major human activity causing such modification to the river landscape that has largely affected delivery of ecosystem services. This study is motivated to understand how varying patterns of dam development in a basin affect the river flow regime, differentially impacting the provision of river ecosystem services. Focusing on the Upper Cauvery basin in India, the study has developed an integrated modeling analysis examining the ecological and economic impact of varying levels of dam development....