What role should ecology play in the management and conservation of inland water resources? | Zendy

Moulton Timothy P. | Zendy

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What role should ecology play in the management and conservation of inland water resources?

Author(s) -

Moulton Timothy P.

Publication year - 2002

Publication title -

aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95

H-Index - 77

eISSN - 1099-0755

pISSN - 1052-7613

DOI - 10.1002/aqc.526

Subject(s) - citation , ecology , library science , computer science , biology

Itisnaturalforeachofustoperceiveproblemsfromthepointofviewofourowndisciplinesandspecialities,andweusuallyreckonthatthereisnotenoughattentionbeingpaidtoourarea.Yetitissalutarytodetachourselvesandseetheproblemfromanoverallperspective.Iam,oratleasthavebeenforthelast15yearsofmyprofessionallife,abenthicecologist.Iamprimarilyanecologist,andbecauseIworkinstreamsandriverswheretheorganismstendtobeattachedoronthebottom,Iamanecologistofthebenthos.However,Iincorporateotheraspectsofstreamecosystemfunctioningintomystudiesastheneedarises,andItrytoprojecttheresultsofmyworkintoquestionsofmanagementandconservationofuvialsystems.Ithinkbenthicecologyhasmanyimportantthingstosayaboutriverconservationandmanagement,butIneedtotempermychauvinismtoviewthequestionobjectively.Inthiseditorial,IwilluseasanexamplethenewlyformedBrazilian‘AgeenciaNacionaldas# AAguas’!(NationalWaterAgency,ANA).IdonothavethespaceortheexpertisetoanalyseANAcomprehensivelyhere,butIwillusetheexampletoprovokethequestionofmytitleandtoreecthowbenthologyandecology in general interact with larger scale water management. As we will see, the question of‘conservation’,withabigorlittle‘c’,inevitablyconfrontsus.ThebasisforANAwastheFederal‘WaterLaw’,‘LeidasAAguas’,whichwaspassedon8January1997!(Lei9433/97)andincludedprovisionforanationalwaterauthority.TheFederalGovernmentsubsequentlycalledforsubmissionsfromthecommunityforthestructuringofANA.Limnologistsandecologistswerecaughtnappingand,asfarasIamaware,theymadenoarticulatedresponse.(Ishouldsay,‘we’madenoresponse,becauseIamamemberofboththeLimnologicalandEcologicalSocietiesofBrazil.)Theengineerswerewide-awaketotheopportunityandapparentlyparticipatedintheformulationoftheagency.Formanyofus,therstrealevidenceofANAappearedwiththepublicannouncementandcallforjobapplicationsinApril2001.Onehundredandtenjobcontractsonoeratthreelevelswithsalariesthatmadeanacademic’seyesbulge} invariousareasofexpertise:variouscategoriesofengineer(sanitary,hydrological,civil),variouscategoriesofearthscience(includinggeographyandhydrology)andacategory‘other’.Itwasagreatshockforapersonlikemyselfwhoespousestheimportanceofbenthologicalresearchandteachesappliedecology,ecologicalmodellingandriverecologytoseethatIhadnoparticularprofessionalspaceintheseplans.Wherewereecology,environmentalmanagementorevenbiologyasprofessionsintheplansformanagingthenation’swater?Weretheysoinsignicantthattheycouldberelegatedto‘other’?HowcouldIjustifytomyundergraduateandpostgraduatestudentsthatthequalicationstheywerereceivingapparentlyhadnospecicrecognitionbytheFederalagency?Shortlyafterthisunsettlingexperience,Iattendedthe49thAnnualMeetingoftheNorthAmericanBenthologicalSocietyinLaCrosse,WS.Thepresident,JosephCulp,choseforthethemeofhispresidentialaddress‘TheRoleofFreshwaterBenthologistsinTranslatingSciencetoDecision-Makers.’HerecountedtheexampleoftheCanadianNorthernRiverBasinsStudy.Heemphasizedtheimportanceofvertical3b2v7

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