Aspen Institute Italia Award 2021 Winner

The study “Improved trade–offs of hydropower and sand connectivity by strategic dam planning in the Mekong” by Rafael J.P. Schmitt, Andrea Castelletti, Simone Bizzi and G. Mathias Kondolf, published in Nature Sustainability (2018) won the sixth edition of the Aspen Istitute Italia Award for the collaboration and scientific research between Italy and the US.

The study, conducted between the Politecnico di Milano, University of California Berkeley, Stanford University and Università di Padova, showcases how strategic dam planning which consider large scale, heterogeneous natural river processes and cumulative dam impacts may reduce the impacts on ecosystems and river health without compromising energy and food production.