Damn the Dam
by Maria Bowman-RiveraTen years ago, the Chinese Government approved the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China, a colossal engineering project, which, once completed, will be one of the few man-made structures visible from space. With completion expected in 2009, the dam will be the largest and most powerful hydroelectric plant in the world.
The dam has many drawbacks, however, including its threat to the wildlife in the area. It threatens the survival of many endangered species native to the Yangtze River, including the Chinese river dolphin, also known as Baiji. Having first appeared 25 million years ago, the dolphin is considered a modern day living fossil. Fewer than 100 of these dolphins remain, making it one of the 12 most endangered species in the world.
The Baiji has been in danger since long before the construction of the dam because of the increasingly poor quality of the water and the human activities taking place along the river. About one-third of China's population live along the Yangtze and much of this area is industrial. The animals get trapped in fishing gear and collide with boat propellers.
The construction and completion of the dam leaves almost no hope for the survival of this ancient species. Many biologists predict that the dam will release water that will cause much damage to the riverbed. The beaches where the Baiji now feed and reproduce will be pushed into heavily populated and polluted areas downstream. Sticking to their innate behaviors, behaviors performed by the species for the last 25 million years, the Baiji will continue their migration pattern and find themselves in extremely dangerous areas where they are likely to get themselves killed.
Chinese officials are now considering capturing the remaining Baiji for a captive breeding program. There are no Chinese River Dolphins currently in captivity, as the last one died in April of 2002 in a zoo in Wuhan, China, after spending 22 years there.