Values and Science in Watershed Management and Restoration

当代环境政策的一个中心主题是建议采用基于流域的方法来恢复本地多样性，保护生态栖息地和管理生态系统。分水岭是一个复杂的生态系统，如小溪、湖泊、斯劳或河口;其边界通常不与政治边界重合。加州的流域为饮用水、娱乐、工业和农业提供水源;它们为各种动物物种提供了重要的栖息地。这些流域人口的迅速增长导致自然资源的人类使用者之间的冲突加剧，本土多样性急剧丧失，生态系统健康状况普遍下降。在加州，联邦和州政府正在求助于流域组织来制定和实施环境政策。科学家、决策者或公众对这些流域管理活动的影响并不十分了解。集中在这些活动在加州，本研究将解决以下问题：目前参与流域恢复和管理的参与者的相关价值是什么？科学信息在流域恢复和管理中的作用是什么？该研究将使用一个由三部分组成的战略，直接分析文件的分水岭组，在所有加州分水岭组织的参与者的意见随机抽样，并比较这些组织的案例研究。科学家和政策制定者可以从比较分析中学习价值观和科学在加州流域管理中的地位。研究结果将通过学术和专业会议及期刊传播。将制作一份执行摘要，分发给流域规划者、联邦和州决策者。

A central theme in contemporary environmental policy is recommending the adoption of watershed-based approaches to restoring native diversity, preserving ecological habitat and managing ecosystems. A watershed is a complex ecological system that sheds water, such as a creek, lake, slough, or estuary; its boundaries do not often coincide with political ones. California's watersheds supply water for drinking, recreation, industry and farming; and they provide critical habitat for a wide variety of animal species. Rapid population growth in these watersheds has led to increased conflict between human users of natural resources, dramatic loss of native diversity, and general decline in the health of ecosystems. In California, federal and state government are turning to watershed-based organizations to develop and implement environmental policy. The implications of these watershed management activities are not well understood by scientists, policy makers or the general public. Focusing on these activities in California, this study will address the following questions: What are the relevant values of participants currently involved in watershed restoration and management? What is the role of scientific information in watershed restoration and management? The research will use a three-part strategy of direct analysis of documents from watershed groups; a random sample of opinion of participants in all California watershed organizations, and comparative case studies of eight of these organizations. Scientists and policy makers can learn from a comparative analysis of the place of values and science in watershed management in California. Results will be disseminated through scholarly and professional conferences and journals. An executive summary will be produced and distributed to watershed planners, federal and state policy makers.