IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v368y2018icp198-204.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Aligning dam removals and road culvert upgrades boosts conservation return-on-investment

Author

Listed:
  • Fitzpatrick, Kimberly B.
  • Neeson, Thomas M.

Abstract

Dams and road culverts fragment river ecosystems worldwide by restricting the movement of aquatic species. In many watersheds, a diverse set of actors coordinates the removal of these barriers. Non-governmental organizations often focus on small dams and road culverts, while large dam removal projects are coordinated by federal agencies or coalitions of partners. Here we evaluate the return-on-investment of these strategies by exploring a continuum of methods for selecting barrier removal projects, ranging from a focus on many small barrier removal projects to a few large ones. We used estimated removal costs of more than 100,000 barriers in the North American Great Lakes to construct economically realistic barrier removal scenarios. We then simulated the movement of stream-resident and anadromous fishes through model river networks with a few large dam removals, many road culvert retrofits, or a mix of both. We found that the strategy of removing both dams and road culverts had the greatest potential to benefit both stream-resident and anadromous fishes, but only when projects were aligned longitudinally within the river network. Our results demonstrate the importance of allocating conservation resources to both small and large restoration projects, and highlight a need for increased coordination and communication among the many different organizations investing in barrier removals. Our findings complement optimization approaches to prioritizing barrier removals by providing general guidelines for practitioners to follow when project selection must depart from a prescribed portfolio of projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Fitzpatrick, Kimberly B. & Neeson, Thomas M., 2018. "Aligning dam removals and road culvert upgrades boosts conservation return-on-investment," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 368(C), pages 198-204.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:368:y:2018:i:c:p:198-204
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.11.018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380017304799
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.11.018?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Perkin, Joshuah S. & Gido, Keith B. & Al-Ta’ani, Ola & Scoglio, Caterina, 2013. "Simulating fish dispersal in stream networks fragmented by multiple road crossings," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 257(C), pages 44-56.
    2. Neeson, Thomas M. & Wiley, Michael J. & Adlerstein, Sara A. & Riolo, Rick L., 2011. "River network structure shapes interannual feedbacks between adult sea lamprey migration and larval habitation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(17), pages 3181-3192.
    3. Neeson, Thomas M. & Wiley, Michael J. & Adlerstein, Sara A. & Riolo, Rick L., 2012. "How river network structure and habitat availability shape the spatial dynamics of larval sea lampreys," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 62-70.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Perkin, Joshuah S. & Gido, Keith B. & Al-Ta’ani, Ola & Scoglio, Caterina, 2013. "Simulating fish dispersal in stream networks fragmented by multiple road crossings," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 257(C), pages 44-56.
    2. Zhaoyi Shang & Yue Che & Kai Yang & Yu Jiang, 2012. "Assessing Local Communities’ Willingness to Pay for River Network Protection: A Contingent Valuation Study of Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Neeson, Thomas M. & Wiley, Michael J. & Adlerstein, Sara A. & Riolo, Rick L., 2012. "How river network structure and habitat availability shape the spatial dynamics of larval sea lampreys," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 62-70.
    4. Van Looy, K. & Piffady, J. & Cavillon, C. & Tormos, T. & Landry, P. & Souchon, Y., 2014. "Integrated modelling of functional and structural connectivity of river corridors for European otter recovery," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 273(C), pages 228-235.
    5. Hongxiang Wang & Lintong Huang & Jianwen Hu & Huan Yang & Wenxian Guo, 2022. "Effect of Urbanization on the River Network Structure in Zhengzhou City, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-15, February.
    6. Jager, Henriette I. & DeAngelis, Donald L., 2018. "The confluences of ideas leading to, and the flow of ideas emerging from, individual-based modeling of riverine fishes," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 384(C), pages 341-352.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:368:y:2018:i:c:p:198-204. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.