AOC - Evaluating the effects of dams on social dynamics.

这一探索性研究项目是通过社会科学和生态科学的综合应用，调查大坝建设或拆除的社会动态。从一个以人为本的观点出发，我们正在评估大坝作为改变社区生态、经济和社会文化决定因素的媒介的作用。通过这个探索性的项目，我们寻求1）促进国际和跨学科的研究社区，2）开发一个平台，用于等效比较描述生态，经济和社会文化决定因素的指标，3）产生大坝建设的净效应指标（和移除）各种组织规模的社区，4）通过未来的合作扩大项目，在新水坝建设领域测试这一净效应指标。该项目的主要创新特点是在国际和跨学科的研究大坝作为社会动态变化的代理人。两个国际研讨会和一个国家的科学综合提供了基础，研究人员正在确定一个框架，整合生态，经济和社会文化科学。该框架建立在与大坝相关的风险和收益的现有知识的基础上，以开发大坝对人们的新净效应指标。只有通过这种工具，才有可能进行多学科的成本效益分析，将生态和社会文化决定因素纳入传统的经济分析。这项合作研究的更大目标是研究大坝对中国云南省一个大坝前和一个大坝后社区的影响，大坝建设正在推动生态，经济和社会的快速变化。这将使政策制定者和科学家能够解决重要的管理和科学问题，例如在文化和地理定义的社区之间是否存在成本和收益分配的差异。更广泛的影响-我们相信，我们的项目的结果可能会导致制定更公平的战略，以管理和减轻世界各地的大坝的风险和收益。拟议的净效应指标将在全球范围内适用于那些寻求通过水坝建设满足日益增长的淡水和电力需求的国家，以及那些计划拆除水坝的国家。由于这项研究汇集了来自研究型大学，本科学院和政府研究机构的罕见合作学科和教师，因此初级和高级教师之间以及具有不同经验，研究重点和观点的研究人员之间将形成持久的关系。此外，这项探索性研究将通过为两名代表性不足的本科生提供综合的国际研究和教育经验来产生更广泛的影响。

This exploratory research project is investigating the social dynamics of dam construction, or removal, through the integrated application of social and ecological sciences. Working from an anthropocentric viewpoint, we are evaluating the role of dams as agents of change on the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural determinants of a community. Through this exploratory project, we seek to 1) promote an international and interdisciplinary research community, 2) develop a platform for equivalently comparing metrics describing ecological, economic, and socio-cultural determinants, 3) produce a net-effect indicator of dam construction (and removal) on communities of various organizational scales, 4) expand the project through future collaborations to test this net-effect indicator in areas of new dam construction.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The key innovative features of this project are in the international and interdisciplinary study of dams as agents of change on social dynamics. Two international symposia and a state of the science synthesis provide the foundation from which investigators are defining a framework to integrate the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural sciences. This framework is built upon existing knowledge of the risks and benefits associated with dams to develop a new net-effects indicator of dams on people. Only through such a tool will it be possible to conduct a multi-disciplinary cost-benefit analysis that incorporates ecological and socio-cultural determinants into traditional economic analyses. The larger objectives of this collaborative research are to study the effect of dams on one pre-dam and one post-dam community in the Yunnan province of China, where dam construction is driving rapid ecological, economic and social change. This will allow policymakers and scientists to address important management and science questions, such as whether a difference exists in the distribution of costs and benefits between culturally and geographically defined communities.BROADER IMPACTS - We believe that the results of our project may lead to the formulation of more equitable strategies for managing and mitigating the risks and benefits of dams around the world. The proposed net-effects indicator will be globally relevant to those seeking to meet increasing demands of freshwater and electricity through dam construction, as well as to those planning dam removals. Because this study brings together infrequently partnered disciplines and faculty from a research university, an undergraduate college, and government research institutions, lasting relationships will be formed between junior and senior faculty and between researchers with diverse experiences, research focuses, and perspectives. In addition, this exploratory study will create broader impacts by providing for an integrated, international research and education experience for two underrepresented undergraduate students.