This has also introduced salt water fish and marine life that can exist in fresh water, the many forms of Jellyfish being one of several who have made their way nearly a hundred miles inland on the river (Salazar, 2000). If the dam had not been built the influx of marine life from the ocean would not have occurred, which would have led to a greater stabilization of the fish ecosystem. The many benefits of a fish and water-based ecosystems matter more in countries with lower per capita incomes where the waters are fished for regularly meals instead of for sport. In China, the river is the equivalent of the western world's grocery store. Creating such a huge disruption to the river has in effect contaminated the "grocery store" for millions of residents who rely on the fish for a source of food along the river's bans. Not only has the "grocery store" for the millions of residents along the river been disrupted, it has nearly killed off to extinction the most unique water mammals only found in this area including the baiji dolphin (Salazar, 2000). In retrospect, the Three Gorges Dam is a cautionary tale of what happens when a massive project is undertaken with no regard for the ecosystems that will be influenced by it.
There has also been analysis of how the weight of the water held by the dam could potentially affect the Jiuwanxi and the Zigui -- Badong fault lines (Alberts, Alberts, Bloom,...
Both of these fault lines run beneath the massive reservoir and geophysicists are predicting the increased massive amount of weight on the faults will lead to more seismic activity as well
(Suri, 2003). In conclusion, all of these factors indicate how interrelated the ecosystems are of a given region and how the most prosperous area of China, which is Shanghai is vitally connected to the ecosystems that surround it.
Socioeconomic Benefits of the Dam
The Chinese government has begun to acknowledge the critic yet is wary to be too open, as they fear an uprising from the 1.2 million how were relocated. The dam has been credited with reducing coal consumption by over 25 million tons per year and has indirectly contributed to a 100 million ton reduction in greenhouse emissions as well (Salazar, 2000). It generates much of the electricity for the southern provinces of China, yet at a very high environmental cost.
References
Henry C. Alberts, Renee M. Alberts, Mitchel F. Bloom, a. Diane LaFlamme, & Satu Teerikangas. (2004). The Three Gorges Dam Project from a systems viewpoint. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 21(6), 585.
Joanna Gail Salazar. (2000). Damming the child of the ocean: The three Gorges project. Journal of Environment & Development, 9(2), 160-174.
Manik…
