The use of vegetation in hydroelectric reservoir shoreline management: A global review of strategies and applications

Abstract

Hydroelectric dams negatively impact reservoir shoreline vegetation, accelerating management issues such as erosion and sedimentation. Understanding the role of vegetation on reservoir shorelines is therefore increasingly relevant in its potential to benefit both shoreline ecosystems and hydroelectric management. We reviewed 103 peer-reviewed papers on the role of vegetation in reservoir management. Each paper was systematically examined to identify assessment strategies for shoreline vegetation and plant traits associated with high survival. We extended our search to include a targeted literature review of 17 grey literature reports from British Columbia (BC) Canada, a province with high hydroelectric power production and management concerns associated with reservoir erosion and dust emissions. We found that most peer-reviewed studies were observational, focusing on ecosystem change (55.3 %) and vegetation inventories (52.4 %) instead of experimental revegetation trials (15.5 %). Traits commonly linked to high survival were fast growth and short, annual life cycles, rhizomes, photosynthetic adaptability, and grass life forms. Functional traits related to the depth and extent of roots, and achieving high percent cover through rapid germination, growth and regeneration may be the most important factors in addressing erosion and sedimentation, making them strong candidates for future revegetation efforts. Most research was short-term and focused on North Temperate latitudes, highlighting the need for global studies on shoreline vegetation and plant traits. Our BC literature review included unpublished reports of successful revegetation efforts that can inform the peer-reviewed published literature. We advocate for publishing future management findings to support global practitioners as the demand for hydroelectric energy grows.