Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
rather than central government taking a lead
in decisions and actions that benefit people and
wildlife. The challenge of turning opportunities into
achievements is therefore being shared by society
as a whole and not just by river scientists and
environmental managers.
We live in a 'risk society' (Beck, 1992) which
positions inconvenient science uncomfortably close
to key human decisions and to the wealth that
can be safely generated from ecosystems. The 20-
year journey from channel to catchment illustrates
this emphatically. River scientists need to be
politically astute if the important progress already
achieved by incorporating convincing evidence
and knowledge into policy is to be sustained
and increased over the next 20 years. This is
particularly important in the context of climate
change: sediment and pollen records suggest that
small changes in air temperature, for instance, have
a disproportionately large compound impact on the
hydrological cycle, influencing a range of features
and factors such as leaf stomata, vegetation, crop
selection, land management and river stability.
Future surprises should be expected but the 'joined
up' way of managing rivers within their catchments
should improve the capacity to resist and have
resilience to change, with the risks shared between
conventional science and the citizen.
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Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the personal
and professional benefits of working in an energetic
and supportive group of river enthusiasts in the
UK over the last 20 years. Behind the academic
term 'paradigm shift' there always lies the devotion
to an ideal and assiduous search for evidence
which has been shown by 'our gang' during that
period. Particular thanks to Phil Boon for having
the interest and energy to 'do' York 2010.
References
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