Fresh Water: Perspectives on the Integration of Research, Education, and Decision Making

Abstract

Education is most effective when coupled to discovery, and discovery is most rewarding when coupled to education. To integrate these with decision making, a strong and flexible feedback loop should be nourished between the generation of information and its use. Scientific uncertainty is only one of many drivers and limits to freshwater decision makers. Freshwater decision makers need interdisciplinary, transferable, comprehensive‐scale studies. The expense of these studies, and institutional barriers, tip the balance of work toward smaller studies that must be integrated after the fact. A number of ongoing efforts hold promise for the integration of research, education, and decision making.

Financial comparisons of the artisanal fisheries in Urubupungá Complex in the middle Paraná River (Brazil)

“…Within this context, fishery at present is an economic activity in which profit depends on the educational level of those who devote themselves to it profit inequalities detected in this study, and also Okada et al (1997) and Agostinho et al (1994b), support the points raised by in those of Daily & Ehrlich (1996) and Firth (1998) in discussing the effects of public educational policies on profits of less-favored populations. Accordingly to Brenton (1991), fishering communities can be regarded as relatively homogeneous social groups, but their internal components require study because, depending on the variables considered, project development can lead to different hypotheses and concrete solutions.…”

A Future Perspective on North America's Freshwater Ecosystems

“…Even though the fundamental roles of science are not changing, there is an ever-increasing expectation that achieving societal goals (e.g., clean water, productive fisheries, or healthy rivers) will be outcomes of the scientific process. Immediate challenges are to craft better watershed protection and management plans based on sound scientific principles (Dale et al 2000), to develop seamless processes which allow effective decisions to be made and implemented regardless of spatial scale or jurisdiction (Gunderson et al 1995, NRC 1998, to ensure that emerging legislation (i.e., the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species, among others) have the breadth, integration, and scientific basis to effectively meet future challenges , and to provide the educational tools necessary to meet the tasks (NRC 1996, Firth 1998. Accomplishing these challenges means having to understand the variety and magnitude of environmental changes, how the changes interact to produce new environmental states, and what is needed to resolve specific environmental and societal issues as they arise.…”

Climate change, aquatic ecosystems, and fishes in the Rocky Mountain West: implications and alternatives for management

“…The inextricable linkages between terrestrial and aquatic systems and the simultaneous disruption of both through past land use activities means that opportunities for more effective coordination of terrestrial and aquatic restoration and conservation could be widespread (Rieman and others 2000;Rieman and others 2010). More successful collaboration might be built on broader perspectives that examine potential opportunities and conflict across entire landscapes (Noss and others 2006;Rieman and others 2010); active communication based on clear definition of values, goals, and objectives early in the process (Naiman and others 1998;Firth 1998); and a focus on the long-term restoration of ecological processes that contribute to the resilience of both terrestrial and aquatic systems (Rieman and others 2010).…”