Recovery or continued resuscitation? A clinical diagnosis of Colorado River sub-basin recovery programs

Ecology and Society: a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability

article

Jaishri Srinivasan¹  Michael Schoon³ 

[1] Arizona State University-Tempe;University of New Mexico;School of Sustainability, Arizona State University-Tempe

关键词: adaptive governance;    Colorado River;    complex system dynamics;    conservation;    resilience;    river basin;    social-ecological feedback;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ES-13749-280105

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

With a particular emphasis on the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (UCR-EFRP) and LowerColorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR-MSCP), we analyze, for each program, four system properties thatcontribute to resilience: system architecture, which includes (1) connectivity and distribution and (2) assemblage of system elements;and system dynamics, which includes (3) social and natural capital flows and (4) system renewal and continuation. Each of these systemproperties is analyzed based on specific social and corresponding biophysical indicators. The system properties were ranked on acarefully constructed scale based on gradations of each system property (derived from the literature) on both social and biophysicalindicator standing. Our results indicate that the UCR-EFRP has relatively better social architecture and dynamics with relatively lessimpact on the ecological architecture and dynamics compared to the LCR-MSCP, though this result may be a function of the greateramount of infrastructural constriction and path dependence in the lower basin compared to the upper basin. We conclude by suggestingthat a transformative pathway forward needs greater adaptability and flexibility incorporated into the social architecture and dynamicsto move toward better ecological health of the river.

【 授权许可】

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