THE ROLE OF AQUATIC SCIENCE IN FRESH-WATER CONSERVATION - COOPERATIONBETWEEN THE NORTH-AMERICAN-BENTHOLOGICAL-SOCIETY AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE-MANAGEMENT
Cm. Pringle et al., THE ROLE OF AQUATIC SCIENCE IN FRESH-WATER CONSERVATION - COOPERATIONBETWEEN THE NORTH-AMERICAN-BENTHOLOGICAL-SOCIETY AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE-MANAGEMENT, Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 12(2), 1993, pp. 177-184
The accelerated impact of humankind on freshwater ecosystems over the
last few decades is unprecedented and the need for effective cooperati
on between scientists and organizations for conservation and resource
management has never been greater. The river conservation community ha
s expanded its focus from recreational stream segments to promotion of
ecosystem-based conservation policies at national and state levels. S
cientists are moving beyond documentation of the deterioration of fres
hwater ecosystems towards application of their knowledge to management
and restoration solutions. However, in spite of research, symposia an
d workshops, and new applied professional journals, much remains to be
done. Here we review some of the challenges and opportunities for eff
ective application of ecological information to solutions to environme
ntal problems in aquatic systems. We focus on avenues for enhanced com
munication and cooperation between the scientific community and organi
zations for conservation and resource management. Specific recommendat
ions include: (1) maintenance of regular communication between respect
ive organizations through formal liaisons; (2) development of 'State o
f the Science' papers focusing on key and timely conservation issues (
e.g., hydropower, wetlands loss); (3) participation of scientists in s
election of alternative management solutions to specific environmental
problems, definition of biological criteria in evaluating solutions,
and predictions of how the biological system will respond to alternati
ve solutions; (4) review of the scientific content of documents develo
ped by conservation and resource management groups; (5) development of
a database that will serve as a clearinghouse of aquatic scientists w
ho have expertise in specific areas; and (6) development of research p
riorities for specific sites or projects that will directly aid non-go
vernmental organizations in the pursuit of conservation objectives and
direct communication of these priorities to the scientific community.