Transcript Document

Ecosystem-Based Management
for
Aquatic Environments
& Water-Reliant Economies:
Our Sisyphean Destiny
Ames Borden Colt, Ph.D.
RI Bays, Rivers, & Watersheds Coordination Team
[email protected]
Rhode Island
Governance
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation & Permitting
Polity
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation &Permitting
Laws
Budgets
Leadership
Policies
Plans/Budgets
Leadership
DEM
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation/Permitting
CRMC
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation/Permitting
NBC
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation/Permitting
EPA
DEM
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation/Permitting
CRMC
Legislation
Executive Management
NBC
Legislation
Executive Management
Regulation/Permitting
Regulation/Permitting
NOAA
WHO MANAGES
FRESHWATER?
Water Resources Board
Manages the state’s freshwater resources to
ensure adequate supplies for people, economy
and environment.
Depart. of Environ. Management
Manages and regulates the state’s water
resources under state and federal laws.
Public Utilities Commission
Regulates rates charged by water suppliers
who sell to areas outside their service district
and by privately owned water companies.
Depart. of Health
Regulates drinking water under the federal
Safe Drinking Water Act.
WHO MANAGES
FRESHWATER?
Water Resources Board
Statewide Planning Program
Manages the state’s freshwater resources to
ensure adequate supplies for people, economy
and environment.
Creates master plans to guide future development
Depart. of Environ. Management
Manages and regulates the state’s water
resources under state and federal laws.
Public Utilities Commission
Regulates rates charged by water suppliers
who sell to areas outside their service district
and by privately owned water companies.
Depart. of Health
Regulates drinking water under the federal
Safe Drinking Water Act.
of the state.
Water Suppliers
In RI, 480 supply systems range from the well
in a rural restaurant to the 28 large systems
that provide public water.
Federal Agencies
U. S. Geological Survey assesses
and map water and geological
resources. Other federal agencies provide
standards, education & research.
Municipalities
Develop comprehensive land use plans
and issue zoning and subdivision ordinances.
Networked Governance
Third-party government: service delivery by
private firms & non-profits.
Joined-up government: multiple government agencies
provide integrated service.
Digital communications.
Consumer-driven services.
(S. Goldsmith & W.D. Eggers, 2004)
Values
Governance
Science
Management
Monitoring Regulatory
Freshwaters
Resource governance for surface & groundwaters that
better reflects hydrologic linkages.
State and federal facilitation of multi-scale watershed
management. Coordination. Advancement.
Robust indicators keyed to sustainable water resource
principles and program goals.
Progressive expansion and networking of chemical,
biological, and physical monitoring systems.
Fourth National Conf. On Science, Policy & the Environment (2004)
Water-Reliant
Economies
Waters, Shorelines
& Watersheds
Energy
Water-Reliant
Economies
Waters, Shorelines
& Watersheds
Climate Change
Sea-Level Rise
Complex Adaptive Systems
“Fluidly changing collections of distributed interacting
components that react to both their environments and to one
another.
“Electric power grid, telecommunications networks, the Internet,
biological systems, ecological systems, social groups.
“The multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary problems
found within these systems are of such great complexity
that traditional modeling methodologies are often
considered inadequate.”
- Argonne National Laboratory
http://www.dis.anl.gov/exp/cas/index.html
Programs, Policies
Goals
decisions
Donald Robadue
Systems Dynamics Sketch of
BRW SLP Vision Statement
losing
workers
skilled
workers
invest
decisions
multi-criteria
cost-effective
(integrated)
timeliness
decision quality
control
decisions
protection
decisions
restore
decisions
Watershed
economic
opportunities
developed
watershed
labor pool,
information
watershed
habitat
fresh
water
flooding risk
monitoring
Coasts
gaining
workers
developed
coasts
coastal risks
(+ sea level)
accessible
coast &
waters
information about
recreation experience
boating
tourists
renewable energy
production
Marine
Waters
swimmable waters
(clean)
recreating
area
coastal storm risk
navigable
Fish
energy &
transport
recreational
fishing
prosperity
navigation and
security technologies
shipping
commercial
fishing
marine
habitats
fishable waters
(clean)
bio-diversity
Social
Cultural
Economic
Ecology
Connectivity
Conditions
Capabilities
Capital
Conversations
Catalysts
Science &
Technology
Built
Environment
Larry Quick
The Resilience Network
www.resilientfutures.org
Odum and Odum. 2001.
A Prosperous Way Down: Principles and Policies
Desbonnet & Costa-Pierce. 2007.
Science for Ecosystem-Based Management:
Narragansett Bay in the 21st Century
Ecosystem-Based Management
The management of human activities to ensure that
marine ecosystems, their structure (e.g., biological
diversity), function (e.g., productivity) and overall
environmental quality (e.g., water and habitat
quality) are not compromised and are maintained at
appropriate temporal and spatial scales.
- Canada Depart. of Fisheries & Oceans (2005)
EBM:
Integrated consideration of the entire ecosystem,
including human dimensions.
Maintain healthy, productive and resilient conditions
to protect ecosystem services humans want and need.
“Differs from current approaches that usually focus on
a single species, sector, activity or concern.”
Communications Partnership for
Science and the Sea (2004)
EBM:
Organizes and networks single resource and sector
management and regulatory programs.
Addresses cumulative impacts.
Recognizes temporal and spatial dynamism and
complexity of ecosystems.
Demands long-term and comprehensive
environmental data sets.
Risks addressed
Possibilities for abrupt, unanticipated changes.
Ecosystems are not infinitely resilient.
Ecosystem services nearly always undervalued.
EBM in RI:
“Place-based” economic and recreational
development and historical restoration: The
Blackstone River Valley
CRMC Special Area Management Plans
DEM Water Quality Restoration Plans (TMDL’s)
The Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, & Watersheds
Coordination Team
Define & implement interagency policies for
ecosystem-based management &
sustainable development
of Rhode Island’s fresh & marine waters & watersheds.
BRWCT
Department of Environmental Management
W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D. (Director)
Coastal Resources Management Council
Michael Tikoian (CRMC Chair)
Division of Planning
Kevin Flynn (Assoc. Director)
Economic Development Corporation
Saul Kaplan (Exec. Director)
BRWCT
Department of Environmental Management
W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D. (Director)
Coastal Resources Management Council
Michael Tikoian (CRMC Chair)
Division of Planning
Kevin Flynn (Assoc. Director)
Water Resources Board
Juan Mariscal, P.E. (General Manager)
Economic Development Corporation
Saul Kaplan (Exec. Director)
Narragansett Bay Commission
Raymond Marshall, P.E. ( Exec. Director)
Rivers Council
Guy Lefbevre & Jane Sherman
(Council Co- Chairs)
Governor
Municipalities
Public Advisory
Comm.
Narr. Bay
Commission
DEM
Env.
Monitoring
Collab.
Div. Of
Planning
CRMC
Water
Resources
Board
EDC
Economic
Monitoring
Collab.
RI Rivers
Council
Science
Advisory
Comm.
General
Assembly
Rhode Island Bays Rivers & Watersheds
Systems-Level Plan: 2009-2013
Sectioned by issue.
Define issues and key attributes.
Develop insight into conflicts between interests.
Goals and strategies distilled from previous
collaborations and agency-based strategic
planning.
Waterfront and Coastal Development:
Balanced, well-designed shorelines and
waterfronts that accommodate marine-related
industry, transportation, recreation, housing, and
conservation.
Watersheds:
Healthy, resilient ecological function and
structure in watersheds at multiple spatial scales.
Water-Reliant Economies:
Thriving businesses that rely upon aquatic
resources and/or waterfronts (long-term
profitability).
Natural Hazards:
Human life, property, infrastructure, and natural
resources resilient to and protected against the
hazards of storms and floods.
Freshwater Supply:
Ample, reliable, and safe fresh water supplies
utilized sustainably.
Water Quality:
Fresh and marine waterbodies that support
“natural” aquatic habitats and “expected”
biological diversity.
Fisheries and Aquaculture:
Sustainable and profitable
freshwater and marine fisheries and aquaculture.
Aquatic Habitats and Invasive Species:
Healthy and diverse ecosystems that multiply
human values for freshwater, coastal, and marine
fisheries and wildlife.
BRW Systems-Level Plan: 2009-2013
Objective
Efficient Water
Use
Strategy
Integrate management
of land use and water
use
Promote water use
efficiency and
conservation.
Timeframes:
For many listed
actions additional
funding will be
required for
successful
completion.
Ongoing: Action is
currently being pursued
by one or more agency.
Additional funding may
be required for
completion.
1-2 Years: With
adequate funding, action
should be completed
within 1-2 years.
Action
Coordinate community
comprehensive plans and
water supply
management plans to
included guidance for
watershed-based
planning for
municipalities.
Develop and Implement
statewide water use
efficiency and
conservation plan and
public outreach program,
including major user
water audits.
1-4 Years: With adequate
funding, significant
progress on the action
will require ongoing
efforts over the next 4
years.
1-6 Years: With adequate
funding, significant
progress on the action
will require ongoing
efforts over the next 6
years.
Lead
Time
WRB
Municipalities
DOP,DEM,DOH
1-4
years
WRB, Water
Suppliers
1-4
years
BRW SLP Implementation
How could interagency strategic planning help to
allocate static or declining agency capacities?
What incentives or mandates should the General
Assembly and the Governor consider to ensure that
the BRWCT agencies act?
BRWCT Responsibilities
Strategic planning cycle:
plan, implement, evaluate.
Environmental data and knowledge
dissemination.
Policy analysis.
Oversight mechanism for the
RI General Assembly.
BRWCT Responsibilities
Training and support for local and regional
governments.
Project facilitation.
Funding.
Budgeting by outcomes.
Groundwater
RI DEM groundwater protection policies stipulate that
(Planning-mandated) Local Comprehensive Plans must:
A) Describe the community’s groundwater resources.
B) Characterize the uses/benefits of groundwater:
C) Establish and implement policies to prevent degradation
of groundwater quality.
Map community’s groundwater resources
US Geological Survey
Characterize uses & benefits
& assess threats
Incorporate into local comp. plan existing
Depart. of Health and EPA source water
assessments of public water supplies, and
recommended protection strategies.
As these assessments become obsolete,
communities will need to update based upon
more detailed DoH requirements.
Implement protection measures for
WHPA’s and groundwater sensitive
and dependent areas.
Planning and zoning requirements
Land conservation
Land development standards
Onsite wastewater management programs
Regulation of use and storage of hazardous
materials
Problems will always torment us because
all important problems are insoluble: that is
why they are important. The good comes
from the continuing struggle to try and
solve them, not from the vain hope of their
solution.
– Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
Sisyphus
The struggle itself...is enough
to fill a man's heart. One
must imagine Sisyphus
happy.
Albert Camus
Titian, 1549
www.coordinationteam.ri.gov
[email protected]