Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: Local Ecological Knowledge and Perceptions of the Watershed Risk Context among Stakeholders in Southern Illinois Watershed Partnerships

成千上万的流域组织或合作伙伴在美国各地出现，以保护水资源和改善水质。由于缺乏资金、领导不力、未能将当地生态知识和风险认知纳入决策过程，这些流域组织中的许多都是不可持续的。本研究主要探讨当地生态知识和风险认知在流域管理中的作用。这两个参数都可以让决策者了解当地的生态、社会和政治背景，这对于构建促进可持续发展和社区福祉的管理方案至关重要。利用伊利诺斯州南部的一个研究地点，该研究将：(a)描述流域伙伴关系利益相关者对其流域风险背景的概念；(b)探讨利益相关者对水质风险的看法，并确定他们是否对风险有共同和综合的看法；(c)描述当地生态知识与风险感知之间关系的性质，以及这种关系如何受到流域风险背景的影响。

Thousands of watershed groups or partnerships have emerged across the United States to protect water resources and improve water quality. Many of these watershed groups have been unsustainable due to lack of funding, ineffective leadership, and failure to incorporate local ecological knowledge and risk perception into their decision making processes. This research focuses on the role of local ecological knowledge and risk perception in watershed management. Both parameters can inform decision makers about local ecological, social, and political contexts, essential for constructing management schemes that promote sustainable development and community wellbeing. Using a study site in southern Illinois, the study will: (a) delineate watershed partnership stakeholders' conceptions of their watershed risk context; (b) explore stakeholders' perceptions of water quality risks and determine if they have shared and integrated perceptions of risk; and (c)characterize the nature of the relationship between local ecological knowledge and risk perception and how this relationship is influenced by the watershed risk context.