Baldi Lecture & Pub: 'Socio-­ecological Complexity and the Restoration of River Ecosystems'

Robert J. Naiman of the University of Washington recently gave the Baldi Memorial Lecture, Socio-­ecological  complexity  and  the  restoration  of  river  ecosystems.

Download Baldi_Article_Naiman_Inland_Waters_Sept2013 

Abstract

Understanding  socio-­ecological  characteristics  associated  with  rivers  and  their  catchments,  and  using  that  understand-­ ing  to  effectively  manage  and  restore  river  ecosystems,  is  an  increasingly  complex  challenge.  While  great  strides  have   been  made  in  the  last  half  century  in  understanding  rivers  as  ecological  systems,  human  exploitation  of  river  water  and   riparian  zones  have  frustrated  river  management  to  the  point  that  many  native  species  are  imperiled  or  have  become extinct, invasive species are rampant, water and sediment quality are in significant decline, environmental flows are neglected,  and  economic  pressures  are  placing  unprecedented  demands  on  remaining  resources.  At  the  same  time,  there   are   societal   expectations   that   river   resources   be   restored   or   rehabilitated to   functional   states,   even   while   climate change, population growth, flow diversion and the proliferation of chemcials impose additional burdens in ways that  are  not  adequately  understood.  Therein  lies  one  of  the  great  challenges  of  this  century.  Can  river  systems  be  realistically   restored  or  rehabilitated  and,  if  so,  what  are  the  approaches  and  scales  that  have  a  chance  of  being  successful?  The  2013   E.  Baldi  lecture  addresses  these  questions  by  examining  2  examples  of  river  restoration:  identifying  socio-­ecological   attributes   from   those   examples   that   have   been   successful   as   well   as   aspects   needing   improvement,   and   presenting   principles  for  improving  river  restoration  in  highly  complex  situations.  The  principles  are  designed  to  enhance  resilience   and  promote  adaptive  capacity  within  social–ecological  systems—systems  that  continue  to  evolve. 

Thanks to Court Smith for sending this to me.

Enjoy!

"Limnological  sciences  have  important  contributions  to  make,  but   to   be   successful   those   efforts   need   to   be   well-­integrated   with   the   efforts   of   other   disciplines   and   stakeholders   to   provide   a   collective   impact.   Doing   anything   less   means   staying   on   the   same   river   conservation   and   restoration   trajectory;;  a  trajectory  that  has  a  poor  track  record  in  terms   of  enduring  success." - Robert J. Naiman, from the paper (p. 407)