The post-political nature of marine spatial planning and modalities for its re-politicisation

ABSTRACT

Marine spatial planning (MSP) has become the most adopted approach for sustainable marine governance. While MSP has transformative capacity, evaluations of its implementation illustrate large gaps between how it is conceptualised and how it is practiced. We argue that these gaps arise from MSP being implemented through post-political processes. Although MSP has been explored through post-political lenses, these evaluations are incomplete and do not provide sufficient detail about the complex nature of the post-political condition. Drawing on seminal literature, we conceptualise the post-political as consisting of highly interconnected modalities of depoliticisation, including: neoliberalism; choreographed participation; path dependency; technocratic-managerialism; and the illusion of progressive change. Using these modalities as an analytical framework, we evaluate English MSP and find that it focuses on entrenching neoliberal logic through: tokenistic participation; wholescale adoption of path-dependent solutions; obstructionist deployment of inactive technological solutions; and promising progressive change. We do not, however, view the post-political condition as unresolvable and we develop a suite of suggestions for the re-politicisation of MSP which, collectively, could form the basis for more radical forms of MSP.     

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO VALUING WATER FROM BRUSH CONTROL1

ABSTRACT: An analytic methodology utilizing models from three disciplines is developed to assess the viability of brush control for water yield in the Frio River basin, Texas. Ecological, hydrologic, and economic models are used to portray changes in forage production and water supply resulting from brush control, and to value supplemental water produced through brush control. Site‐specific biophysical characteristics are used to simulate water yields from brush control across the watershed. Economic benefits from increased animal production for ranchers undertaking brush control are assessed. Benefits to Corpus Christi residential water consumers from ranchers' brush control activities are evaluated using the change in consumer surplus resulting from supplemental water produced through brush control. Results indicate an increase in water yield with brush control on 35 percent of the land area in the basin. However, the cost of brush control is more than the increase in returns it fosters on most range sites. Consumer surplus change for Corpus Christi residents over 25 years is zero under baseline conditions, implying subsidies for brush control in the Frio basin are not worthwhile at this time.     

CONTROL OF NATURAL BRINE SPRINGS IN BRAZOS RIVER BASIN PART II: BRINE DISPOSAL1

ABSTRACT: Water quality in the Brazos River of Texas is seriously degraded by natural salt pollution. Two thousand tons/day of total dissolved solids emanate from brine springs and seeps in the Upper Brazos River drainage. Approximately 45 percent of the total salt load comes from a relatively small flow in the Dove Creek area. The companion paper demonstrates that a system of wells pumping brine at a constant rate of about 2 cfs from the near surface aquifer should eliminate the brine springs in this area. In this paper, injection into deep brine aquifers is shown to be a feasible brine disposal alternative. Four brine aquifers were determined from the literature to be possible injection zones. Accurate net aquifer thickness maps were generated in a 23 by 14 mile area centered on the Dove Creek area for three of the aquifers from an interpretation of 41 well logs. Constant injection for a project life of 100 years was simulated using the SWIFT/486 software. Modeling suggests that one well would be sufficient to inject the entire disposal volume into either the Strawn or Ellenburger Formation.     

Economic impacts of storm surge and the cost-benefit analysis of a coastal spine as the surge mitigation strategy in Houston-Galveston area in the USA

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Rapid population growth, urbanization, and concentration of valuable assets and strategic infrastructure in coastal regions make coastal...     

Vascular plant extinction in the continental United States and Canada

Extinction rates are expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Current extinction rates of plants and many animals remain unknown. We quantified extinctions among the vascular flora of the continental United States and Canada since European settlement. We compiled data on apparently extinct species by querying plant conservation databases, searching the literature, and vetting the resulting list with botanical experts. Because taxonomic opinion varies widely, we developed an index of taxonomic uncertainty (ITU). The ITU ranges from A to F, with A indicating unanimous taxonomic recognition and F indicating taxonomic recognition by only a single author. The ITU allowed us to rigorously evaluate extinction rates. Our data suggest that 51 species and 14 infraspecific taxa, representing 33 families and 49 genera of vascular plants, have become extinct in our study area since European settlement. Seven of these taxa exist in cultivation but are extinct in the wild. Most extinctions occurred in the west, but this outcome may reflect the timing of botanical exploration relative to settlement. Sixty-four percent of extinct plants were single-site endemics, and many occurred outside recognized biodiversity hotspots. Given the paucity of plant surveys in many areas, particularly prior to European settlement, the actual extinction rate of vascular plants is undoubtedly much higher than indicated here.     

An integrative negotiation model to deal with conflicts toward water resources management: a case study in Brazil

Environment, Development and Sustainability - An integrative negotiation model is proposed so that watershed committees (WSC) can deal better with conflicts over alternatives for protecting water...