Free-flowing rivers are vanishing

The document describes the global decline of free-flowing rivers due to fragmentation from dams, roads, and dikes, which threatens biodiversity and human livelihoods. It highlights the creation of a scientific inventory of the world's last free-flowing rivers and provides case studies of conservation successes and ongoing threats in Mexico, Colombia, Slovenia, Zambia, Brazil, and Myanmar.

• Global river systems are increasingly fragmented by infrastructure such as dams, dikes, and roads, which endangers wildlife, freshwater ecosystems, and the millions of people who depend on them.
• There are currently over 60,000 major dams globally. While they provide electricity and drinking water, dams placed in a river's main stem can cause significant biodiversity loss and disrupt fish migration, agriculture, and livelihoods.
• In Mexico, the Usumacinta river, identified as the longest and most biodiverse river in Central America, has 93% of its water federally protected following the establishment of water reserves across nearly 300 river basins in June 2018.
• Conservation efforts have led to the protection of the Bita River basin in Colombia as a Ramsar site covering 825,000 hectares, and an agreement in February 2019 by the Slovenian government to halt hydropower development on the Mura River.
• Threats to free-flowing rivers persist in several regions: a proposed dam at Nvedu Gorge threatens the Luangwa River in Zambia; over 100 planned dams threaten the Upper Paraguay Basin in Brazil; and the Irrawaddy and Salween rivers in Myanmar remain at risk despite recommendations to keep their main stems dam-free.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Free-flowing rivers are vanishing. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/895/3x4voc3uzk_Free_Flowing_Rivers_infographic.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Free-flowing rivers are vanishing. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/895/3x4voc3uzk_Free_Flowing_Rivers_infographic.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Free-flowing rivers are vanishing |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/895/3x4voc3uzk_Free_Flowing_Rivers_infographic.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndfreeflowing, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Free-flowing rivers are vanishing}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/895/3x4voc3uzk_Free_Flowing_Rivers_infographic.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }