Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Need for balance in reservoir impact research

Nature Geoscience volume 18, pages 568–569 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

The under exploration of the ecological benefits of reservoirs may be a consequence of multiple intersecting factors including the methodological ease of detecting adverse impacts, the growing societal sensitivity to environmental degradation, and academic incentives that privilege narratives of ecological crisis. However, many reservoirs provide indispensable ecological functions, such as sustaining downstream baseflows during droughts, stabilizing local climates through evapotranspiration, recharging groundwater aquifers, and creating habitats for migratory birds and aquatic species in seasonally dry regions8. In addition, reservoirs play a key role in reducing ecological risks from extreme events by buffering floods and supporting water availability during climate anomalies9. These benefits are often diffuse, indirect, and context-dependent, making them harder to quantify and generalize. However, comprehensive research is essential to develop robust evaluation frameworks and methods, along with quantitative indicators and models, to assess the ecological service functions of reservoirs.

When only the negative effects of reservoirs are assessed, environmental narratives and policy frameworks become skewed. A narrow focus leads to generalized conclusions that overlook the diversity of reservoir systems, their complex interactions with local ecosystems, and valuable ecological services. This imbalance not only misrepresents the full scope of reservoirs’ environmental impact but also guides policies that prioritize mitigating negative effects while missing opportunities to enhance positive outcomes. In addition, ecosystems have some adaptive ability at a long-term or geological scale. For example, in certain seasonally dry regions, reservoirs have created new wetland habitats that have become critical for migratory birds, or aquatic communities have reorganized around novel nutrient and flow conditions8. Therefore, it is crucial to integrate both positive and negative ecological effects in shaping adaptive, effective reservoir management strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Maavara, T. et al. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1, 103–116 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Harrison, J. A. Nature 568, 171 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Muller, M. Nature 566, 315–317 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Grill, G. et al. Nature 569, 215–221 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. He, F. et al. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 5, 755–772 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dethier, E. N., Renshaw, C. E. & Magilligan, F. J. Science 376, 1447–1452 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chen, Q. et al. Rev. Geophys. 61, e2023RG000819 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Yan, X., Thieu, V., Wu, S. & Garnier, J. Water Res. 213, 118158 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ehsani, N., Vörösmarty, C. J., Fekete, B. M. & Stakhiv, E. Z. J. Hydrol. 555, 435–446 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFC3210000), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52121006, 52309097).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Xingcheng Yan, Sijiu Zhang.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, China

    Xingcheng Yan, Sijiu Zhang, Yuchen Chen, Qiuwen Chen, Jianyun Zhang, Tao Feng, Ruxia Qiao, Xudong Zhou & Hao Sun

  2. Cooperative Innovation Center for Water Safety and Hydro Science, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Xingcheng Yan, Qiuwen Chen & Jianyun Zhang

  3. Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Qiuwen Chen & Jianyun Zhang

Authors
  1. Xingcheng Yan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sijiu Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yuchen Chen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qiuwen Chen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jianyun Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Tao Feng
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ruxia Qiao
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Xudong Zhou
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Hao Sun
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qiuwen Chen.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yan, X., Zhang, S., Chen, Y. et al. Need for balance in reservoir impact research. Nat. Geosci. 18, 568–569 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01736-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01736-x

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene