This guide is intended for those working to assess and manage resources, especially those interested in developing river basin health report cards. It reflects on the indicators that have historically been used for basin report cards and presents new ways to think of indicators, as the interface between nature and people becomes more and more intertwined. It is a supplementary guide to the Practitioner’s Guide to Developing River Basin Report Cards.

10 Rivers at Risk highlights threats posed by hydropower to free-flowing rivers & the diverse benefits they provide to people and nature. The report includes case studies of the 10 priority rivers that are threatened around the world: Asia—Mekong, Irrawaddy and Sepik; Europe—Vjosa, Vistula, and Isel; Africa—Mara and Kavango; and Latin America and the Caribbean—Tapajos and Upper Paraguay. To save these rivers, governments, developers, and investors can act to reassess renewable energy portfolios that focus on low cost, low carbon, and low conflict energy options to benefit the rivers and surrounding communities.

Undervalued and overlooked, the world's freshwater fish are critical for the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people—and the health of rivers, lakes, and wetlands—but 1/3rd of them are already threatened with extinction. Promoting thriving populations of freshwater fishes and the ecosystems within which they thrive is a priority for WWF and the 15 organizations and alliances that produced this report.

To protect the world’s most vital, free-flowing rivers, WWF is undertaking a four-part strategy that includes strategic energy and basin planning, policy protections for rivers and communities, advocacy and outreach, and science and thought leadership.

With thousands of hydropower dams planned across the globe, a report from WWF and The Nature Conservancy demonstrates how we can solve the world’s climate and energy challenge without sacrificing our remaining free-flowing rivers and the diverse benefits they provide to people and nature.