Rivers for Life

by Postel, Sandra; Richter, Brian

• ISBN13: 9781559634441
• ISBN10: 1559634448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

"...a clarion call to society for the need to balance human demands with the needs of our world's rivers, the arterial system of life on this planet. The authors describe the vanguard movement to restore rivers and to reconnect rivers with their flood plains, portraying the under-appreciated life support services our rivers perform, their ecological function, and the threats to riverine ecosystems." -MIKE DOMBECK, CHIEF EMERITUS OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE AND PIONEER PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT "Finally! A book that pays attention to flow, not just pollutants, as central to river restoration. Blending science and readability, Rivers for Life offers refreshing insights into allocating limited water to meet the needs of humans and rivers." -JAMES R. KARR, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE The conventional approach to river protection has focused on water quality and maintaining some ""minimum"" flow that was thought necessary to ensure the viability of a river. In recent years, however, scientific research has underscored the idea that the ecological health of a river system depends not on a minimum amount of water at any one time but on the naturally variable quantity and timing of flows throughout the year. In Rivers for Life, leading water experts Sandra Postel and Brian Richter explain why restoring and preserving more natural river flows are key to sustaining freshwater biodiversity and healthy river systems, and describe innovative policies, scientific approaches, and management reforms for achieving those goals. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter: explain the value of healthy rivers to human and ecosystem health; describe the ecological processes that support river ecosystems and how they have been disrupted by dams, diversions, and other alterations; consider the scientific basis for determining how much water a river needs; examine new management paradigms focused on restoring flow patterns and sustaining ecological health; assess the policy options available for managing rivers and other freshwater systems; explore building blocks for better river governance Sandra Postel and Brian Richter offer case studies of river management from the United States (the San Pedro, Green, and Missouri), Australia (the Brisbane), and South Africa (the Sabie), along with numerous examples of new and innovative policy approaches that are being implemented in those and other countries. Rivers for Life presents a global perspective on the challenges of managing water for people and nature, with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the relevant science, policy, and management issues. It presents exciting and inspirational information for anyone concerned with water policy, planning and management, river conservation, freshwater biodiversity, or related topics.

Author Biography

Sandra Postel is director of the Global Water Policy Project in Amherst, Massachusetts. In November 2002, she was named one of the "Scientific American 50" by Scientific American magazine, a new award recognizing contributions to science and technology Brian Richter is director of the Freshwater Initiative of The Nature Conservancy and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. In his 16 years with the Conservancy he has provided technical support and strategic advice to more than 80 river conservation projects around the world

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
CHAPTER ONE Where Have All the Rivers Gone?	1	(41)
Why We Need Healthy Rivers	5	(8)
The Disruption of Natural Flows	13	(13)
Freshwater Life at Risk	26	(10)
A Conceptual View for Balancing Human and Ecosystem Water Needs	36	(6)
CHAPTER TWO How Much Water Does a River Need?	42	(37)
The Evolution of a New River Management Paradigm	45	(6)
Flow Prescriptions Aimed at Ecological Health	51	(8)
Setting Ecological Goals	59	(4)
Learning by Doing	63	(4)
Rebuilding a River's Natural Flow Patterns	67	(7)
Lessons from the Colorado Pikeminnow	74	(5)
CHAPTER THREE The Policy Toolbox	79	(41)
Allocating Water for Ecosystem Support	80	(4)
South Africa Pioneers the Water "Reserve"	84	(2)
Australia Overhauls Water Policy and Tries a "Cap"	86	(6)
U.S. Policy Lacks Focus on Ecological Health	92	(20)
Economic Tools for Securing River Flows	112	(5)
Ethics in River Policy	117	(3)
CHAPTER FOUR Down to the River	120	(47)
A Comeback Chance for the Missouri?	123	(9)
Restoring the Brisbane River of Australia's Gold Coast	132	(7)
Groundwater Pumping and the Future of the San Pedro	139	(7)
Flows for Shrimp in the Tropical Rio Espiritu Santo	146	(5)
Reducing Impacts of Federal Dams on Kentucky's Green River	151	(6)
Sharing the Waters of South Africa's Sabie River	157	(10)
CHAPTER FIVE Building Blocks for Better River Governance	167	(32)
Capturing the Value of Ecosystem Services	169	(8)
Lessons from the World Commission on Dams	177	(5)
Bottom-Up Governance Gets a Try	182	(4)
River Basin Commissions Work "Outside the Box"	186	(9)
Sparks of Leadership	195	(4)
CHAPTER SIX Epilogue: Can We Save Earth's Rivers?	199	(6)
Notes	205	(22)
Bibliography	227	(14)
About the Authors	241	(2)
Index	243