| Large dams
Left: Aldeadavila Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Douro River on the border between Spain and Portugal
Reference
Since the inhabitants of Malaga suffer more water shortages than Asturians, they are more likely to be appreciative of the benefits of reservoirs for water supply. At the same time, the authors add, as they can see rivers virtually dry downstream, the inhabitants of Malaga may have a better perception of the impacts. In other words, acceptance of dams/reservoirs and recognition of their services was not correlated with an unawareness of environmental impacts. This suggests that in dry regions the benefits may compensate for the impacts, making dams and reservoirs more accepted (or less rejected). Equal scores for impacts and benefits in Malaga support the idea of compensation to promote dam acceptance. The study results indicate that although dams and reservoirs have a significant impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, these can be offset in the eyes of the public if the perceived benefits are high enough. Dopico et al say that attitudes are not necessarily
linked to knowledge regarding environmental issues as Malaga inhabitants are aware of ecological problems caused by dams but their attitude towards them is positive. The present generation is described as being an eyewitness to the impact of human action on ecosystems and is likely becoming more aware of the real ecological risk due to climate change, especially in dry regions.
Useful tool The study can become a useful tool for investigating
public opinion about dams and reservoirs and could be applied for adaptive management of river barriers in Europe. Dopico et al used words like dams and reservoirs in their study which are suggestive of larger impacts, while views of river fragmentation tend to consider only larger dams with heights greater than 10m, ignoring smaller structures. Yet, the authors add, 85% of barriers in European rivers are small artificial structures such as weirs, ramps, culverts and fords that are under-represented in barrier inventories. From an adaptive management point of view, a
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similar study could assess public opinion and enable more informed decisions about mitigation alternatives, such as dam removal versus dam modification. Dopico et al say that if confirmed in larger samples, the results of their study could be significant for policy development and management of water resources in the studied regions. The results suggest that, since Asturians reject dams more and willing to build less dams, removal of obsolete and ageing dams might be better accepted in Asturias than in Malaga; while in Malaga options to reconnect the rivers (for example through fish ladders) would be preferred. Malaga inhabitants would pay more to reconnect the rivers, and at the same time they would pay more to build new dams. Ultimately, the majority of the respondents are described as being relatively favourable to dams in the two provinces considered in this study.
Water security determines social attitudes about dams and reservoirs in South Europe by Eduardo Dopico, Elena Arboleya, Sara Fernandez, Yaisel Borrell, Sonia Consuegra, Carlos García de Leaniz, Gloria Lázaro, César Rodríguez and Eva Garcia-Vazquez. Scientific Reports Nature Portfolio (2022) 12:6148.
https://doi.org/10.1038/ s41598-022-10170-7
Below: Drought-striken Entrepenas reservoir in Castilla, Spain
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