Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins

The project 'Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins' investigates the ecological impacts of hydropower plants on the Paraná river in Brazil. Using computer modeling and the Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) method, researchers identified that fish migration and reproduction are strongly influenced by the duration, starting date, peak, and frequency of flood events. The study also highlights the dependence of local socio-economic activities, including professional fishing, tourism, and recreation, on these fish ecosystems. To resolve conflicts between energy production and environmental needs, the team simulated the performance of 53 hydropower plants using Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming (SDDP) to develop reservoir operational policies that meet both hydropower and ecosystem service demands.

• Socio-economic activities in the region, specifically professional fishing, tourism, and recreation, are directly or indirectly dependent on fish and their ecosystems, though these activities are complicated by conflicts of interest and difficulties in determining their relative importance.
• Using the Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) method, the research determined that four specific components of flood events—duration, starting date, peak, and frequency—strongly influence the reproduction and migration of fish.
• The research team developed a framework to analyze how the abundance of migratory fish young-of-the-year (YoY) responds to different flow regimes, finding that satisfactory fish abundance can be achieved by focusing on key flow regime indicators and that multiple solutions for ecosystem recovery may exist through different patterns.
• The project analyzed the operational and technical characteristics of 53 hydropower plants in the Paraná river using Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming (SDDP) to simulate performance and optimize the system for both electricity generation and ecosystem services.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins. https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW%20091_merged.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins. n.d. https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW%20091_merged.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins |url=https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW%20091_merged.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndimproving, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Improving the governance of the floodplain in over-built river basins}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW%20091_merged.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }