Campaigns

From the Amazon to the Mekong, from the great rivers of China to Africa’s Congo River, a wave of big dams threatens some of our last iconic rivers. Because nothing is quite so destructive to a river as a big dam, International Rivers focuses on stopping the worst dam projects in the Global South. We target projects that pose particularly great threats to critical river ecosystems and local communities, and for which there are clearly better alternatives. Browse through our campaigns below, or visit our program pages for complete campaign listings and overviews of our campaign areas.

Integrated Resources Planning

Planning processes for the power sector have to meet many goals: Electric power should be affordable, reliable, and widely available to people and businesses. Power generation should also have low impacts on host communities, ecosystems and climate change. In reality, most power planning processes focus on promoting economic growth and serve the interests of privileged groups. Social and environmental concerns are neglected. Such processes reliably lead to the construction of new fossil fuel and dam projects. In contrast, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) is a planning method designed to serv

Inter-American Development Bank

Father and son displaced by Cana Brava Dam, Brazil
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is the largest regional multilateral development bank in Latin America. Over the past decade, the IDB has approved $69 billion in loans, and has been a major driver of regional infrastructure integration programs, such as the Initiative for the Integration of Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA). The IDB has also been a consistent funder of large dams. The IDB’s environmental and social record is spotty, at best.

International Finance Corporation

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the branch of the World Bank Group that provides loans to the private sector. The IFC has helped finance dams such as Nam Ngum 3 (Laos), Bujagali (Uganda), and Cheves (Peru). Meanwhile, the IFC's Performance Standards are a set of social and environmental safeguards that often guide the social and environmental practices of private dam builders. The Performance Standards also directly influence the Equator Principles, a set of voluntary sustainability guidelines for some of the world's largest private banks. International Rivers has worked to ke

Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam

Tang Hpre near the Myitsone construction site
The Myitsone Dam is located a mile below the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers in Kachin State, the source of the Irrawaddy River. The dam's reservoir will submerge important historical and cultural sites at the Mali and N'mai Hka rivers, as well as what is widely recognized as the birthplace of Burma. The dam is also located in a region that is recognized as one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots and a global conservation priority. Construction was suspended in 2011 due to concerns about the impacts of the project.

Kajbar Dam, Sudan

The Sudanese government plans to turn the Nile Valley – the only fertile stretch of land in Northern Sudan – into a strong of five reservoirs (see map). The Aswan Dam and the Merowe Dam have already been built. Next in line are the Kajbar, Shereik and Dal dams. The Sudanese government plans to turn the Nile Valley – the only fertile stretch of land in Northern Sudan – into a strong of five reservoirs (see map).

Kariba Dam, Zambia / Zimbabwe

For the Gwembe Tonga and Kore Kore peoples, the Kariba Dam was a death blow to their communities and culture. They had lived for centuries in the Gwembe Valley along the northern and southern banks of the Zambezi River. But in 1958, this wide valley turned from river to reservoir. Whole villages were flooded, displacing 57,000 indigenous people. The Tonga and Kore Kore affected communities are searching for solutions and redress.

Kunene River, Namibia

A Himba man at the Kunene River, upstream of the Epupa dam site.
The Kunene River is one of just five perennial rivers in arid Namibia, and is considered a precious resource by those who live near it. The river has for centuries supported the semi–nomadic Himba people, who are one of Africa’s most successful remaining pastoralist peoples. The government of Namibia has long intended to build a huge hydroelectric scheme on the Kunene.

La Parota Dam

In 2003, the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission proposed the construction of La Parota Dam in the State of Guerrero. The 900 MW dam on the Papagayo River would have flooded close to 17,000 hectares of land and displace more than 25,000 people. The project was officially cancelled on August 16, 2012.

Lao-Vietnam Power Interconnection Project

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is currently considering funding the proposed Lao P.D.R.-Viet Nam Power Interconnection (Hatxan-Pleiku). This project would connect a series of 8 dams along the Sekong and its tributary, the Sekaman River, to a high voltage transmission line to export power to Vietnam. The project area encompasses the Don Ampham National Protected Area and the homelands of indigenous ethnic minority communities who have depended for generations on gathering wild foods and fishing in the rivers. Many of the fish species that flourish in this area are endemic highland species

Lao-Vietnam Power Interconnection Project

The pipeline energy projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) include the development of a transmission line and eight associated dams along the Sekong and its tributary, the Sekaman River, for export of power to Vietnam. The project area encompasses the Don Ampham National Protected Area and the homelands of indigenous ethnic minority communities who have depended for generations on gathering wild foods and fishing in the rivers. Many of the fish species that flourish in this area are endemic highland species only breeding and migrating within these watersheds, with some types thought t

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