Integrated Water Resources Management Curriculum in the United States: Results of a Recent Survey
Integrated Water Resources Management Curriculum in the United States: Results of a Recent Survey
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美国综合水资源管理课程：最近调查的结果
DOI：
10.1111/j.1936-704x.2006.mp135001013.x
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发表时间：
2009
影响因子：
0.7
通讯作者：
P. Bourget
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
P. Bourget
本文总结了工程兵团的综合水资源管理（IWRM）的高级学位课程的进展情况，并在2006年夏天进行了一项调查，以征求反馈意见的综合水资源管理相关的培训需求的结果。这项调查是由大学水资源理事会和美国水资源协会联合发起的，旨在收集水资源专家对水资源综合管理这一新兴领域的看法。600多人对调查作出了答复，其中包括学者、政府官员和顾问。调查结果表明，在美国，水资源综合管理的内容和实施方式往往存在着相反的观点。正如调查结果所显示的那样，在美国开展水资源综合管理极为复杂，这在很大程度上是因为它所面临的问题的广泛性以及管理实践的分散方式。在美国，水资源综合管理的定义是有问题的，因为它涵盖了广泛的实践-从科学监测溪流到疏浚通航水道，再到减少洪水风险的措施。也许最好将其视为一个努力平衡区域经济增长同时实现明智的环境管理的进程。从这个意义上说，水资源的管理和开发是一个参与性进程，涉及以前相互竞争的利益。尽管水资源综合管理得到越来越多的认可，但有兴趣攻读相关学位的学生在大多数情况下都面临着在土木工程、物理水文学、经济学或环境科学等定义较窄的领域之间做出选择的问题。很少有教育选择提供一个综合课程，以实际和平衡的方式触及各种类型的水资源管理目标。工程兵团（www.waterresourceseducation.us）一直在开发水资源综合管理高级学位课程，最初是作为教育工程兵团规划界的一种手段。它的目的是促进专门面向水资源从业人员的研究生一级的跨部门学位。该计划已在过去四年中运作，但由于其有点狭窄的重点加上近年来部队经历的训练削减，证明不是自我维持的。扩大所设计的课程，以解决水资源综合管理的全部目标，可以吸引更广泛的联邦，州和地区的利益超越工程师军团。进行这项调查是为了了解人们对综合水资源管理培训的广泛兴趣，并就这一课程的内容征求意见。研究结果表明，有广泛的兴趣在水资源综合管理的所有部门，并进一步的话语是必要的，以确定其原则如何与美国的经验，以及他们应该如何管理。
This paper summarizes the progress of the Corps of Engineers’ Advanced Degree Program in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the results of a survey that was conducted in the summer of 2006 to solicit feedback on training needs related to IWRM. The survey, which was jointly sponsored by the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) and the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), was conducted to capture the views of water resource specialists related to the emerging field of IWRM. Over 600 people responded to the survey, representing a fairly balanced blend of academicians, government officials and consultants. The results suggest that there are often opposing views of what comprises IWRM and the means by which it should be implemented in the U.S. As the survey results suggest, the conduct of IWRM in the U.S. is extremely complex owed in large part to the breadth of issues it faces and the decentralized manner in which practices are governed. The definition of IWRM is problematic in the U.S. due to the wide practices that it encompasses – from scientific monitoring of streams to the dredging of navigable waterways to flood risk reduction measures. Perhaps it is best viewed as a process that strives to balance regional economic growth while achieving wise environmental stewardship. In that sense, water resources management and development is a participatory process involving previously competing interests. In spite of the increased recognition of IWRM, students interested in pursuing a related degree are, for the most part, faced with choosing between the more narrowly defined fields of civil engineering, physical hydrology, economics or environmental science. There are few educational options available that provide an integrative curriculum that touches upon the various types of water resources management objectives in a practical and balanced way. The Advanced Degree Program in IWRM, which has been under development by the Corps of Engineers (www.waterresourceseducation.us), began as a means to educate the Corps’ planning community. It was designed to promote interdepartmental degrees at the graduate level that were specifically geared towards water resource practitioners. The program has been operational for the past four years, but is not proving to be self-sustaining due to its somewhat narrow focus combined with training cutbacks the Corps has experienced within recent years. An expansion of the designed curriculum to address the full range of IWRM objectives could attract a wider range of federal, state, and regional interests beyond the Corps of Engineers. The survey was conducted in order to gauge broad interest on IWRM-related training and to solicit input on what might comprise such a curriculum. The results suggest that there is wide interest in IWRM across all water resource sectors, and that further discourse is warranted to determine how its principles relate to the U.S. experience and how they should be governed.