Assessing the Impacts of Dams on the Local Community and Environment in Iran: Systematic Review

This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the various research with a focus on biophysical, socioeconomic, and geopolitical impacts of dams through a systematic literature review for the period of 2000 to 2016. The major research databases were searched and 110 papers were identified. 24 papers were selected thematically and based on the period that the research was undertaken. Based on this, the effects of dams can be categorized into socio-economic, biophysical, and geopolitical. Results revealed that dam construction has both positive and negative impacts on the aforementioned three categories. The positive effects of dams include improving livelihoods, life expectancy, social cohesion, infrastructure development, sustainability of areas, preventing flood damage, creating new landscapes, and building local institutions. The negative effects include the displacement of indigenous populations, destruction of life/landscapes, community conflicts, cultural damage, or anthropological artifacts. Two strategies were recommended for managing the pros and cons of dams: 1) implementing sustainable impact assessment, and 2) corporate social responsibility.