Ecological Conflicts and the Social Dimensions of Dam Removal

本项目考察了美国东北部拟议和已完成的大坝拆除案例的环境冲突，特别关注这些冲突的社会层面。在过去的几十年里，由于公众对老化大坝的安全性越来越担心，不愿意将稀缺的资源投入基础设施的修复，以及对恢复退化的生态系统越来越感兴趣，美国已经拆除了900多座小型水坝。尽管对大坝拆除的法律、社会、经济和文化层面进行了十年的研究，但对大坝拆除过程的多个方面进行全面研究仍然至关重要，特别是在国家机构、环境倡导团体和当地社区之间产生冲突的情况下。该研究提出了以下问题。大坝拆除地点的生物物理和社会特征是什么？驱动大坝拆除过程的关键技术、经济和环境理由是什么？科学知识和文化价值如何塑造大坝拆除过程并产生冲突？考虑到关于环境冲突的起源和景观反映文化态度的方式的争论，该研究揭示了美国环境政治的变化特征，这是通过对大坝拆除的争论所揭示的。本研究使用定量和定性技术，包括地理信息系统（GIS）技术和半结构化访谈，分析了新英格兰100多座大坝的拆除，创建了一个区域评估，分析了拆除过程的环境和社会层面。研究人员预计，包括政府机构、环保组织和社区组织在内的利益相关者将利用这项研究的结果推进正在进行的流域恢复研究，并鼓励更多关于大坝拆除和生态恢复的知情国家对话。该项目将为达特茅斯大学的本科生（特别是参与“女性参与科学项目”的学生）提供重要的定性-定量结合方法的培训和研究机会。物理、地理空间和社会科学家的合作团队将成为未来地理和空间科学学科间和学科内研究的重要模板。

This project examines environmental conflicts surrounding proposed and completed cases of dam removal in the northeastern United States, focusing in particular on the social dimensions of these conflicts. Over the past several decades more than 900 mostly small dams in the United States have been removed due to increasing public concern over the safety of aging dams, an unwillingness to invest scarce resources in infrastructure repair, and a growing interest in restoring degraded ecosystems. Despite a decade's worth of research on the legal, social, economic and cultural dimensions of dam removal, there remains a vital need for comprehensive research on the multiple facets of the dam removal process, particularly in cases that generate conflicts among state agencies, environmental advocacy groups and local communities. The research asks the following questions. What are the biophysical and social characteristics of locations targeted for dam removal? What are the key technical, economic and environmental rationales driving dam removal processes? How do scientific knowledge and cultural values shape the dam removal process and generate conflicts? Considering debates on the origins of environmental conflicts and the way in which landscapes reflect cultural attitudes, the research sheds light on the shifting character of environmental politics in the United States as revealed through contestation over dam removal. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative techniques, including geographic information system (GIS) technologies and semi-structured interviews, to analyze more than 100 dam removals in New England, creating a regional assessment that analyzes both the environmental and social dimensions of the removal process. The investigators anticipate that stakeholders, including government agencies, environmental groups, and community organizations, will use the results of this research to advance ongoing studies on watershed restoration and encourage more informed national dialogues on dam removal and ecological restoration. This project will offer significant training and research opportunities for Dartmouth undergraduate students (particularly those participating in the Women in Science Program) in combined qualitative-quantitative methodologies. The collaborative team of physical, geospatial, and social scientists will serve as an important template for future inter- and intra-disciplinary studies in geography and spatial sciences.