Nature.com
May 8, 2000

Now that China’s massive dam has been built, what will it mean for the environment?

Article excerpt… The last load of concrete is due to be poured at China’s Three Gorges project on 20 May, completing the main wall of the world’s biggest dam. Although the huge structure promises to control flooding on the Yangtze River and provide copious hydroelectric power, many fear that it could also have damaging social and environmental repercussions. … Any construction project on this scale is also going to have environmental repercussions. Silt is being trapped behind the dam, which means that less material is being carried to the Yangtze’s delta near Shanghai. This is causing erosion of the wetland habitat there, which provides nurseries for fish and resting areas for migratory birds and is considered one of the world’s most important wetland ecosystems. A similar effect was seen on the Nile after the Aswan Dam in Egypt was completed. Water evaporating from the reservoir’s huge area could also have an impact on local climate.