A groundbreaking database developed by the Global Dam Watch (GDW) consortium is set to transform the global understanding of dams and reservoirs.
Co-ordinated and led by members of a research lab at McGill University, with funding from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Bank, the database integrates existing global datasets to provide the most comprehensive resource for large-scale analyses to date.
When dams are built they have an impact not only on the flow of water in the river, but also on the people who live downstream and on the surrounding ecosystems. By placing data from close to 6,500 existing large dams on a highly precise map of the world’s rivers, an international team led by McGill University researchers has created a new method to estimate the global impacts of dams on river flow and fragmentation.
