A river’s flow is its heartbeat.
Freshwater plants and animals have evolved with, and intimately depend upon, natural patterns of hydrological variability. Healthy rivers have both an unobstructed linear flow – materials can flow downstream, fish can migrate upstream – and also a lateral flow that allows high waters to spread into floodplains, nourishing the land and recharging water tables. River scientists call this connectivity.
Connectivity enables the flood-recession agriculture and long-distance fish migrations which nourish billions of people across the globe. It also sustains the livelihoods of millions of rural and fisher people in the Mekong, Amazon, Salween and Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra river basins, among many others.
Our Work to Ensure River Basin Connectivity
We work to preserve connectivity wherever possible. In heavily-dammed river basins, we advocate for environmental flows, which mimic a river’s natural flow regime as much as possible. We also work to foster transboundary cooperation in river planning, both within countries and across borders, in order to account for the cumulative and transboundary impacts of development. And finally, we support indigenous and river community moments who are leading efforts to enact restoration efforts and permanent river protection legislation.
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Latest News
- Press Release | Removal of diversion dam restores flows to Klamath River canyon for the first time in nearly a centuryPress Release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation For Immediate Release: November 2, 2023 Contact: Ren Brownell, PIO, ren@klamathrenewal.org, 530-670-0016 Work on Copco No. 2 Dam Removal Comes to a Close Removal of … Read more
- Court dismissal of Xayaburi dam lawsuit highlights the need to strengthen accountability of cross-border investmentsBy Phairin Sohsai and Gary Lee On 17 August, the Thai Supreme Administrative Court ruled to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by 37 Thai villagers against five Thai state agencies for … Read more
- PRESS RELEASE: Klamath Dam Removal Process Enters Home Stretch: Environmental Review Confirms the Benefits of Dam RemovalKaruk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • American Rivers • Trout Unlimited • Institute for Fisheries Resources • California Trout • Sustainable Northwest • Salmon River Restoration Council • Native Fish … Read more
- Organizations launch petition to save the Cuiabá River in BrazilThe coalition pressures Mato Grosso State environmental agency (SEMA) to suspend licensing to six new dams planned to be built on the Alto Paraguay basin. A coalition of Brazilian and … Read more
- Klamath River Dam Removal Update: An Urgent Need for Action!By: Bruce Shoemaker, Klamath Project Liaison The proposed removal of four aging dams on the Klamath River in far-northern California and southern Oregon is at a crucial juncture. Following sustained … Read more