The increased use of hydropower is currently driving the greatest surge in global dam
construction since the mid-20th century, meaning that most major rivers on Earth are now …

The world's big rivers and their floodplains were central to development of civilization and
are now home to c. 2.7 billion people. They are economically vital whilst also constituting …

Central and South America (CSA) is a highly diverse region, both culturally and biologically.
It has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet (Hoorn et al., 2010; Zador et al …

Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) support diverse, complex and dynamic ecosystems globally,
providing important societal and economic services. Infrastructure development threatens …

Appropriation of fresh water to meet human needs is growing, and competition among users
will intensify in a warmer and more crowded world. This essay explains why freshwater …

In the 12 years since Dudgeon et al.(2006) reviewed major pressures on freshwater
ecosystems, the biodiversity crisis in the world's lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams and …

Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for
about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least …

Global surface water extent is changing due to natural processes as well as anthropogenic
drivers such as reservoir construction and conversion of wetlands to agriculture. However …

Water availability is a major factor constraining humanity's ability to meet the future food and
energy needs of a growing and increasingly affluent human population. Water plays an …

By presenting the most comprehensive GlObal geOreferenced Database of Dams to date
containing more than 38,000 dams as well as their associated catchments, we enable new …