SusHydro project aims to create interdisciplinary guidelines for sustainable governance of the existing hydropower system in Finland. It integrates the ecological, economic, and social pillars of sustainability in its approach. The project is based on the mitigation hierarchy and adaptive governance theory. We argue that ecological, economical and societal circumstances surrounding hydropower have changed substantially over the recent decades, but its governance has largely remained the same due to, for example, the strong permanence of hydropower permits and inadequate knowledge on river ecosystems. Our research provides footsteps for regoverning the industry towards sustainable transformation. By conducting and combining state-of-the art legal and economic research and new methods for studying river ecology this project is uniquely positioned to resolve the conflict between the current governance of hydropower and sustainability.

2020

2024