Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
to evaluate ways and means of improving the
quality of government programmes in place for
ecosystem management and the provision of
ecosystem services from the Poyang Lake section
of the Yangtze River. For example:
1) Government at all levels should use the 12
guiding principles in programme planning, design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation. None
of
are necessary. We advocate continuing attempts
to check species loss but, in many situations,
urge adoption of a compromise position of
management for biodiversity conservation,
ecosystem functioning and resilience, and human
livelihoods in order to provide a viable long-term
basis for freshwater conservation'. Protected areas
are one way, but only one way, to achieve these
aims, together with an approach like that of the
wise use of wetlands in the Ramsar Convention
(Bridgewater, 2008).
Traditional protected areas, in particular
protected areas in IUCN categories II, V and
VI (Dudley, 2008) are large and polygonic, rather
than linear, landscape features and so are rarely
designed to ensure appropriate management
of longitudinal connectivity in the landscape.
While rivers are frequently used to demarcate
the boundaries of such protected areas they are
rarely seen as protected areas themselves. The
Flusslandschaft Elbe Biosphere Reserve is an
exception here, perhaps serving as a model for
the development of riverine protected areas. Of
course, some rivers are included for part of their
length in other IUCN protected area categories,
or with special designations such as Wild or
Heritage Rivers. Such a designation, however,
often operates against the landscape or ecosystem
approach.
In many, if not most, countries there
are overlapping and potentially conflicting
responsibilities of different government agencies
responsible for management of rivers and the
protected areas which they may form, include, or
through which they flow. Consequently, managing
riverine species and habitats within a protected
area can be complicated by the need to coordinate
activities between multiple authorities, some with
mandates at odds with biodiversity conservation or
even management. In short, this militates against
integrated management.
Ideally, protected areas established to conserve
river ecosystems would encompass the river's
catchment in its entirety, using innovative
combinations of protected areas and other
strategies within an IWRM framework (O'Keeffe,
this volume). Existing protected areas designed to
the
existing
programmes
for
environmental
management
has
fully
applied
the
12
guiding
principles.
2) In applying these guiding principles the most
difficult aspects to achieve are democracy, fairness
in decision-making and stakeholder participation,
which are all closely related. This reinforces the
view that the management of people is often the
key issue in managing environments.
3) A wetland conservation programme has been
exemplary in implementing the 12 principles, and
this may explain why supporting services for
migratory birds and cultural services have been
enhanced, while other supporting, regulating and
provisioning services have been declining over the
past 50 years.
4) The Precautionary Principle is not applied well,
almost always due to short-term goals rather than
longer-term visions being implemented. While
investment and job creation are government
priorities, risks continue for the provision of some
ecosystem services.
Overall, the ecosystem services provided by the
Poyang Lake region of the Yangtze remain in a
fragile state, yet there appears sufficient system
resilience to allow the continuing consolidation
of improvements. A major problem remains: the
potential degradation of the upstream ecosystem
services in all the tributary rivers, as well as in the
main Yangtze River itself.
Discussion: river landscapes
into the future
Protected areas and rivers
Dudgeon et al . (2006) noted that 'trade-offs
between conservation of freshwater biodiversity
and human use of ecosystem goods and services
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