Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 24
From Stockholm to Rio II: The Natural
and Institutional Landscapes Through
Which Rivers Flow
Peter Bridgewater
1
, Lei Guangchun
2
and Lu Cai
2
1
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough, UK
2
School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, China
Introduction
of ecosystem services that are uniquely riverine.
This chapter charts the course of rivers through all
these different landscapes: geographical, cultural,
ecological and institutional, examines along the
way some case studies from China, and looks at
lessons for the future.
Ecclesiastes 1:7 (King James Version): All the rivers
run
into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from
whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All
the Rivers Run
is also the title of an historical novel
about the River Murray, written by Australian
author Nancy Cato in 1958, and subsequently
made into a television mini-series. As part of its
introduction to the Programme on Inland Waters,
the Convention on Biological Diversity cites the
Native American Indian proverb
No river can return
to its source, yet all rivers must have a beginning -
an echo of the Ecclesiastes text. Finally,
And Quiet
Flows the Don
is the first part of the great epic
(
Tuxu u oh
,), based on the Don River, written by
Sholokhov in 1934.
Religion and literature alike have been thus
fascinated by, and used the metaphors of, rivers
and their roles in landscapes. Rivers are part of
human culture, from being the site of ancient
and modern cities of great power and wealth, to
forming transport lines along which trade of all
kinds can take place. Yet rivers are also important
in the institutional landscapes of environmental
law and practice; and more recently have been seen
as vital connectors in landscapes, part of the great
global water cycle, and providers of a whole suite
Institutional landscapes
Since 1970, the world has witnessed great
changes in understanding and perception
of the environment. Before 1970, very few
governments had separate ministries dealing with
the environment. At national and international
levels the environment was simply part of other
activities. For example, at UN level, UNESCO
was dealing with the environment through its
science sector; FAO through its many programmes
dealing with natural resources; UNDP took little
notice of the environment as it was tasked with
development. And the UN Secretariat had almost
no cognisance of the natural environment, focusing
instead on the socio-economic environment.
In 1968 UNESCO held a key conference on the
biosphere (UNESCO, 1970), which gave rise to
its Man and Biosphere programme that continues
today through the World Network of Biosphere
