THE FACTS AND RISKS OF BUILDING STIEGLER’S GORGE HYDROPOWER DAM IN SELOUS GAME RESERVE, TANZANIA

The report examines the proposed Stiegler's Gorge hydropower dam in Tanzania, highlighting significant risks to the Selous Game Reserve (a World Heritage Site) and the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Marine Ramsar Site. It argues that the project would cause irreversible damage to the region's Outstanding Universal Value, disrupt downstream ecosystems, and threaten the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 people. The document also questions the project's financial feasibility and reliability given climate change and suggests alternative energy sources such as natural gas, solar, wind, and geothermal power.

• The proposed Stiegler's Gorge dam would create a reservoir of approximately 1,200km2, which would be the largest in East Africa.
• The project poses a high risk of irreversible damage to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Selous Game Reserve, leading the World Heritage Committee to urge Tanzania to permanently abandon it.
• Downstream impacts include the trapping of an estimated 16.6 million tons of sediment annually, which would lead to increased erosion, the shrinking of the Rufiji delta, and the potential collapse of fish, prawn, and shrimp fisheries.
• The dam is estimated to negatively impact the livelihoods of over 200,000 people, specifically farmers and fishermen in the Rufiji delta and surrounding islands.
• The project threatens the integrity of three globally significant protected areas: the Selous World Heritage Site, the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Marine Ramsar Site, and the Kilombero Valley Floodplain Ramsar site.
• Climate change is expected to increase rainfall variability in southern Tanzania, which may reduce the security and reliability of hydropower schemes in the region.
• The project's estimated cost is US$3.6 billion, and its financial viability is questioned due to Tanzania's debt, the potential for over-optimistic demand forecasts, and the risk of using an Independent Power Producer model.
• There are several viable energy alternatives to the dam, including on-shore natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal, and importing power from Ethiopia and Kenya.

APA

Dye, B., & Hartmann, J. (2017). THE FACTS AND RISKS OF BUILDING STIEGLER’S GORGE HYDROPOWER DAM IN SELOUS GAME RESERVE, TANZANIA. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/890/g9bg0wyo7_ESIA_Classification_Memo_for_Disclosure___GEF_Nepal_LD_2013.pdf

Chicago

Dye, Barnaby, and Joerg Hartmann. THE FACTS AND RISKS OF BUILDING STIEGLER’S GORGE HYDROPOWER DAM IN SELOUS GAME RESERVE, TANZANIA. WWF International, 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/890/g9bg0wyo7_ESIA_Classification_Memo_for_Disclosure___GEF_Nepal_LD_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dye |first1=Barnaby |last2=Hartmann |first2=Joerg |title=THE FACTS AND RISKS OF BUILDING STIEGLER’S GORGE HYDROPOWER DAM IN SELOUS GAME RESERVE, TANZANIA |publisher=WWF International |date=July 2017 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/890/g9bg0wyo7_ESIA_Classification_Memo_for_Disclosure___GEF_Nepal_LD_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dye2017facts, author = {Dye, Barnaby and Hartmann, Joerg}, title = {{THE FACTS AND RISKS OF BUILDING STIEGLER’S GORGE HYDROPOWER DAM IN SELOUS GAME RESERVE, TANZANIA}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/890/g9bg0wyo7_ESIA_Classification_Memo_for_Disclosure___GEF_Nepal_LD_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }