Environmental Communication
Link to explanation:
1. Dam Removal Europe - Impact of small hydro power plants: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVU9OjPRbh0
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In general, there are three different configurations of hydro power plants: derivation (run-of the river, diversion); storage and pumped storage plants.
Hydropower plants are classified according to their energy production capacity, expressed in megawatts. While large scale hydropower plants can produce well over 100 MW, small hydropower plants generally produce less than 10 MW. Based on energy production capacity, small-scale hydropower production is broken into four size categories of pico- (<5 kilowatts), micro- (5-100 kW), mini- 100 kW-1 MW), and small (1-10 MW).
Ecological flow can be interpreted as the minimum value of discharge that needs to be maintained in a river in order to ensure good (or optimum) conditions for the existing ecosystems, according to appropriate criteria based on the hydrological and environmental conditions respecting the biological balance.The European frameworks to date, unfortunately, still note situations in which the current unavailability of specific measures and monitoring activities requires the adoption and implementation of a transitional phase in which the “no deterioration” condition of the quality status of water bodies must be achieved and guaranteed. This condition might be determined on the basis of scientific methodologies arising from relevant international experiences, as suggested by the European Commission in the guidelines on ecological flowLink to explanation:
The Balkans are home to some of the last wild rivers in Europe. For SHPPs to function, water is diverted into pipes, leaving a bare minimum in the river stream. Hydropower plant construction interferes with the terrain by cutting down trees and permanently damaging the ground; it also endangers water supply for local communities, biodiversity and the entire ecosystem—causing irreversible damage to nature.Link to explanation:
The Balkan Rivers are one of the most important hotspots for European biodiversity, especially fish and molluscs, hosting many threatened as well as endemic species. 1The Western Balkans is a region known for its prominent trout diversity, as seen in the many trout taxa described in all three main drainage areas found here. 2Link to explanation:1. Biodiversity hotspot https://www.balkanrivers.net/en/photos/biodiversity-hotspot2. Škraba, Dubravka & Tošić, Ana & Mrdak, Danilo & Kanjuh, Tamara & Špelić, Ivan & Nikolić, Vera & Piria, Marina & Simonović, Predrag. (2020). Alternative life-history in native trout (Salmo spp.) suppresses invasive effect of alien trout strains introduced into streams at the western part of the Balkans. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00188/full
Bioindicators include biological processes, species, or communities and are used to assess the quality of the environment and how it changes over time. Changes in the environment are often attributed to anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., pollution, land use changes) or natural stressors (e.g., drought, late spring freeze), although anthropogenic stressors form the primary focus of bioindicator research. The widespread development and application of bioindicators has occurred primarily since the 1960s. Over the years, we have expanded our repertoire of bioindicators to assist us in studying all types of environments (i.e., aquatic and terrestrial), using all major taxonomic groups.Link to explanation:
1. Bioindicators: Using Organisms to Measure Environmental Impacts https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/bioindicators-using-organisms-to-measure-environmental-impacts-16821310/
Salmo trutta — morpha fario is a monodromous species that is bound to only one habitat type within which it migrates.
Moreover, SHPPs are generating very small amounts of electricity, hugely disproportionate to investment in their construction and destruction of nature. The Bankwatch report revealed that by the end of 2020, they produced only 2.2 per cent of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electricity, 3 per cent in Montenegro, 4 per cent in North Macedonia and just 0.62 per cent in Serbia. In 2021, SHPPs generated 2.5 per cent of electricity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4.1 per cent in Montenegro and a mere 0.1 per cent in Serbia.Link to explanation:
Water makes up 75% of the Earth's surface, and 95% of the volume of the lithosphere
The ocean holds about 97 percent of the Earth's water; the remaining three percent is distributed in many different places, including glaciers and ice, below the ground, in rivers and lakes, and in the atmosphere.Link to explanation:
UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) data from 2019 shows that billions of people around the world are continuing to suffer from poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services, 4.2 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation services, and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities.
