VIRGINIA
TECH FISHERIES AND
WILDLIFE PROFESSOR
DEVELOPS REPORT TO
AID NATION IN MANAGING
FRESHWATERS
BLACKSBURG,
Jan 30, 2003 - Paul
Angermeier, associate
professor of fisheries
and wildlife sciences
in Virginia Tech's
College of Natural
Resources, helped
develop the 2002 Ecological
Society of America
(ESA) report on meeting
the future needs for
freshwater sustainability.
Freshwater is vital
to human life and
the well-being of
society because it
provides commodities
and services in consumption,
irrigation, and transportation.
The
report explains the
requirements scientists
use to assess the
current status of
freshwater ecosystems.
The information will
help policy makers,
water managers, and
communities to more
wisely allocate water
resources. "We also
recommend ways in
which freshwater ecosystems
can be protected,
maintained, and restored,"
explains Angermeier.
"Western
rivers in the U.S.
are prime examples
of how flow manipulation
can lead to multiple
damages to rivers
and communities,"
says Angermeier. The
lack of freshwater
flows have contributed
to the widespread
loss of native fish
species in the Colorado
River, Glen Canyon
Dam, and at the mouth
of the Gulf of California,
where the bivalve
mollusk muscles population
has dropped by 94
percent from 1950.
In other areas of
concern freshwater
temperatures have
dropped dramatically.
"This has resulted
in the development
of a nonnative trout
population and an
unusual food web more
commonly found in
the Arctic regions,"
explains Angermeier.
The
South Florida ecosystem
is home to over six
million people. Efforts
began in the early
1900s to drain the
Everglades wetlands,
which were viewed
as wastelands and
useless swamps. The
water projects were
not designed with
environmental protection
or enhancement in
mind. According to
the report, although
it's not possible
to restore the region
to its pristine condition,
efforts are underway
to make it more compatible
with the way the system
used to function.
Approximately 50 percent
of the historic Everglades
has been converted
to agricultural or
urban use. Populations
of wading birds have
been reduced by 85-90
percent. Invasive
species are threatening
native habitat and
species, and 68 species
of plants and animals
in South Florida are
threatened and endangered,
the ESA report points
out.
Scientific
definitions of the
requirements to protect
and maintain aquatic
ecosystems are necessary
but currently insufficient
for establishing how
best to allocate water
for human use and
ecosystem needs. "A
multi-faceted approach
has been proposed
that may take 25 years
or more to implement,"
Angermeier says. The
ESA task group recommended
six plans as a beginning
to redress how water
is viewed and managed
in the U.S.
The
ESA report proposes
to empower local groups
and communities to
implement sustainable
water polices, define
water resources to
include watersheds,
so that freshwaters
are viewed within
the Clean Water Act,
and increase communication
and education across
disciplines, especially
among engineers, hydrologists,
economists, and ecologists
to facilitate an integrated
view of freshwater
resources.
Angermeier
adds, "ESA also hopes
the report will increase
restoration efforts
for wetland, lake,
and river ecosystems,
protect minimally
impaired freshwater
ecosystems, and create
awareness of how crucial
healthy ecosystems
are to our everyday
living." A synopsis
of the report will
eventually be available
online at ESA.org.
In the meantime, interested
persons may contact
Angermeier at biota@vt.edu
for further information,
or order a copy for
$2.25 from the Ecological
Society of America,
Reprint Department,
1707 H St. NW, Suite
400, Washington, DC
20006.
