Great Lakes Conservation Blueprint For Aquatic Biodiversity

This paper serves to begin a dialogue on how these special biodiversity resources should be identified and protected in the Great Lakes basin. In this paper, signifiant biodiversity elements of the basin are identified. Threats to those resources are described and, in general terms, evaluated. Based on this information, recommandations are provided for the protection of biological diversity in the Great Lakes ecosystem. These are strategic in nature, designed to suggest broad direction, stimulate discussion and solicit advice for the progection of biological diversity in the basin. Finally, a range of tools available for biodiversity protection is outlined.

The Great Lakes contain the largest collection of freshwater islands in the world, more than 32,000 islands. These islands contain significant biodiversity including endemic species, rare habitats, and critical biological functions. They are important breeding and staging areas for colonial nesting water birds, harbor noteworthy assemblages of plants and animals and provide important stopover sites for migrating birds. They make a significant contribution to the physical and biological diversity of the Great Lakes and surrounding basin. Included are descriptions of islands found in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair and St. Clair River, the Georgian Bay, the Detroit River, and the St. Lawrence River.

A Practitioner's Guide to Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation brings together knowledge and experience from conservation practitioners and experts around the world to help readers understand the global challenge of conserving biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems. More importantly, it offers specific strategies and suggestions for managers to use in establishing new conservation initiatives or improving the effectiveness of existing initiatives. The book: offers an understanding of fundamental issues by explaining how ecosystems are structured and how they support biodiversity; provides specific information and approaches for identifying areas most in need of protection; examines promising strategies that can help reduce biodiversity loss; and describes design considerations and methods for measuring success within an adaptive management framework. The book draws on experience and knowledge gained during a five-year project of The Nature Conservancy known as the Freshwater Initiative, which brought together a range of practitioners to create a learning laboratory for testing ideas, approaches, tools, strategies, and methods. For professionals involved with land or water management-including state and federal agency staff, scientists and researchers working with conservation organizations, students and faculty involved with freshwater issues or biodiversity conservation, and policymakers concerned with environmental issues-the book represents an important new source of information, ideas, and approaches.

An integrated framework for water resources management It has been said that "water is the next oil." A strong global consensus has begun to develop that effective water management must start at the watershed level, and that water management actions must be taken in the context of watersheds, and the human communities in them. Integrated Watershed Management: Principles and Practice, Second Edition presents a flexible, integrated framework for watershed management that addresses the biophysical, social, and economic issues affecting water resources and their use. Comprehensive in scope and multidisciplinary in approach, it equips readers with the necessary tools and techniques to develop sound watershed management policy and practice—from problem definition and goal setting to selecting management strategies and procedures for monitoring implementation. Ten years of practice have demonstrated that the core concepts presented in the first edition of this book remain true and important. This Second Edition is fully updated to reflect current practice and recent experience in watershed management, including: New coverage of strategies for the selection and evaluation of public engagement processes Sampling, data management, and computer simulation technologies Recent legislative changes International watershed issues Many new case studies Water resources planning and management is not just a technical challenge; it is also a social challenge, and an opportunity. It is, ultimately, a framework for human societies to shape, protect, and improve the environment in which they live. Providing a rational framework for the development of water resources management strategies, Integrated Watershed Management, Second Edition is a one-stop resource for upper-level students and professionals in environmental science, natural resource management, and environmental engineering.