Securing a Future that Flows: Case Studies of Protection Mechanisms for Rivers

The report examines diverse river protection strategies across several countries to balance energy needs with the conservation of free-flowing rivers. It highlights national legal designations in the United States and Norway, environmental water reserves in Mexico, species-specific reserves in China, national parks in Brazil, and biodiversity offsets in Costa Rica. The authors argue that system-scale planning is the most effective way to direct hydropower development away from high-value river systems.

• The United States uses the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 1968 to protect rivers with 'outstandingly remarkable values', categorizing them as wild, scenic, or recreational based on development levels. As of the report date, the system protects 12,709 miles of 208 rivers or segments across 40 states and Puerto Rico, which is 0.35% of the nation's rivers.
• Norway employs a Master Plan for Water Resources to rank hydropower projects by cost and conflict level, directing development toward low-conflict areas. The associated Protection Plan for Watercourses has designated 389 rivers or segments for protection, covering approximately 25% of Norway's hydropower potential.
• Mexico established a National System of Water Reserves in 2012 to guarantee water security for the next 50 years. These reserves allocate a specific volume of water for environmental use to maintain ecosystem functionality and buffer climate impacts, with 189 river basin decrees expected by 2018.
• In China, the National Nature Reserve Areas of Rare and Endemic Fishes of the Upper Yangtze River (Fish Reserve) protects rare species like the Chinese paddlefish. However, the reserve's boundaries have been adjusted in 2005 and 2010 to accommodate hydropower projects, demonstrating that such designations can be vulnerable to development pressure.
• Brazil's use of national parks for river protection has proven fragile, as seen when the Brazilian Congress amended the boundaries of Amazonia National Park to allow the construction of the São Luiz do Tapajós Dam.
• Costa Rica implemented a biodiversity offset for the Reventazón Hydropower Project by protecting the Parismina River in perpetuity. This agreement prohibits artificial modifications and dams that block migrations to compensate for the environmental impacts of the Reventazón dam.
• The report concludes that system-scale planning is the most effective tool for balancing energy needs and conservation, potentially reducing impacts on 100,000 kilometers of river worldwide during the projected doubling of global hydropower capacity by 2040.

APA

Moir, K., Thieme, M., & Opperman, J. (2016). Securing a Future that Flows: Case Studies of Protection Mechanisms for Rivers. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/719/dohibp390_WWF_River_Protection_Report.pdf

Chicago

Moir, K., M. Thieme, and J. Opperman. Securing a Future that Flows: Case Studies of Protection Mechanisms for Rivers. WWF International, 2016. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/719/dohibp390_WWF_River_Protection_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moir |first1=K. |last2=Thieme |first2=M. |last3=Opperman |first3=J. |title=Securing a Future that Flows: Case Studies of Protection Mechanisms for Rivers |publisher=WWF International |date=2016 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/719/dohibp390_WWF_River_Protection_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moir2016securing, author = {Moir, K. and Thieme, M. and Opperman, J.}, title = {{Securing a Future that Flows: Case Studies of Protection Mechanisms for Rivers}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/719/dohibp390_WWF_River_Protection_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }