Ecological applications of niche theory - Ecological Applications: Toward a Sustainable World - page 56

features of the natural fl ow regime to provide for the fundamental niches of native
species (and to counter the spread of invaders).

The fi nal word

Kelly, our angler (Section 2.1), is struck by the idea that many ecological problems
have a social aspect. ' Aren't different interest groups (exploiters, conservers) more likely
to come up with a satisfactory solution to an environmental issue if they all contribute
to problem solving? I can imagine that the farmers who took part in the cost-of-
biodiversity study would be likely to adopt a more sustainable approach because they
were personally involved from the start (Section 2.4.3) . I wonder if I should try to start
a community group for river habitat improvement - I may be a fanatical angler, but it
would be great to work with conservationists and farmers to improve the health of the
river generally. '
Imagine you are Kelly. Devise, in outline, a community action plan to improve
the health of a heavily impacted river. This should have the following components:
identify all the different interest groups; list the issues that w ill need to be addressed;
identify remedies that the different groups are likely to agree upon; and fi nally focus
on the controversial issues - how do you think the different groups might be brought
to successful compromise outcomes?

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