continues to increase. Almost 1,000 dams are planned or under construction in South America and 50 new dams are planned on China's Yangtze River alone. Dams and other river structures change the downstream flow patterns and consequently affect water quality, temperature, sediment movement and deposition, fish and wildlife, and the livelihoods of people who depend on healthy river ecosystems. Environmental flows seek to maintain these river functions while at the same time providing for traditional offstream benefits.

Evolution of environmental flow concepts and recognition