4 CONCLUSIONS In this report, we present a first-time assessment of the connectivity status of Myanmar’s rivers currently and if hydropower development would progress as assumed under a “business as usual” scenario, using the FFR analysis developed by Grill et al (2019). We can show that Myanmar is indeed a country of exceptionally connected rivers, which is underlined by the high productivity and diversity of the country’s rivers. All three very long rivers in Myanmar - the Irrawaddy, its tributary the Chindwin, and the Salween – are categorised as being free-flowing, totalling some 4,340 km of freely flowing, large, productive and ecologically diverse rivers. However, we can also see that the existing early stages of hydropower development have already impacted river connectivity in Myanmar, although significant impacts are mostly confined to one large basin (Sittaung) and a relatively small number (25%) of long and medium-long rivers. The results from the analysis emphasize that the DOF and the DOR are the major pressure indicators in Myanmar and that new dams and reservoirs will reinforce those two pressures. Likewise, we have seen that a “business as usual” scenario, for the development of large hydropower dams, would have a major effect on the connectivity of rivers. Large rivers, especially, would be strongly impacted, with the Irrawaddy, the Chindwin and the Salween no longer being classified as free-flowing. In fact, all but a few rivers longer than 500 km would stop being free-flowing, and a third of today’s free-flowing medium long rivers (100-500 km) would suffer the same fate. We also see a higher potential decline in the connectivity of rivers in the coastal basins, which, in view of the high ecological and social importance of those rivers, is concerning. We can conclude that proposed hydroelectric dams present a major threat to the unique FFRs and to the delta ecosystems of Myanmar alongside the associated biodiversity and services they provide to people. The FFRs maps that were created for this analysis (Appendix I) send a powerful message: unguided development will cause the loss of FFRs all over Myanmar. We strongly encourage careful consideration and planning for dam development, choosing locations which will have a lower impact on connectivity, ensuring the services to people and nature provided by the river remain intact. This study demonstrates the urgency to use connectivity assessments to find development scenarios for energy production which sustain the various services of the river, including considering alternative energy options that have less impact on river systems.
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