COOPERATIVE COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY WATER RESOURCE PLANNING: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH1

ABSTRACT. This paper outlines an approach to planning the management of a lake heavily used for recreation and of substantial importance to the tourist economy of Northeastern Wisconsin. A framework, utilizing a three dimensional matrix, is developed to analyze levels of public concern, management alternatives and action agencies. Structural and non-structural alternatives are examined and evaluated on the basis of social and economic criteria, long- and short-term environmental impact and legal-political feasibility. Data requirements which created the necessity for an interdisciplinary approach involving social, physical, and biological sciences are enumerated. The authors examine the role of universities in assisting communities with resource management planning and detail the attributes of academic institutions which desire to successfully attack resource planning problems.     

EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT POLICIES FOR URBAN WATER SUPPLY1

ABSTRACT .This paper attempts to spell out the difficult conditions faced by urban water supply managers in achieving overall efficiency. Based upon these conditions, and changes that are likely in the next decade, it then tries to suggest strategies that would lead to even higher levels of efficiency in the future. A blending of political and economic concepts is used to make what is hoped to be a realistic analysis. What do we mean by “efficient”? The usual welfare economics definition is attainable only under a very special and highly unrealistic set of institutional arrangements. As soon as we delegate responsibility to a specialized agency we provide the opportunity, indeed we make it imperative that, in a social sense, a sub-optimization will take place. From the specifics of the indictment of this sub-optimization we can learn something about the opportunities for more efficient management in the future. In general there is an under-exploitation of multiple-function, multiple-objective opportunities. The pressures for sub-optimization hinge very directly on the sources of support and opposition to the water supply agency. A change requires the creation of a broader political base. The search for regional solutions is largely a political problem, and probably the development of flexible, responsive regional agency, so long sought, is still the answer.     

The decline of a regional fishing nation: The case of Ghana and West Africa

Inadequate trade policies, globalization of the fishing industry, dominance of Europe's distant water fleets, declarations of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) by neighbouring West African nations, overfishing and a lack of good governance contributed to the decline of Ghana as a regional fishing nation, a position it had held since the 18^th century. The prohibitive cost of access arrangements limited Ghana's access to distant waters. The country's marine environments have been impacted by overexploitation of stocks and the use of destructive methods. Subsistence fishing has become the sole means of survival for many fishers. The decline of the fishing sector has limited the country's ability to meet domestic demand and threatened the economic and food security of many Ghanaians. The article traces the early history of Ghana's fisheries, their gradual decline during the last four decades, and outlines recommendations for policy changes to address the situation and steer the nation on a course towards sustainable fisheries.     

Rice versus fish revisited: On the integrated management of floodplain resources in Bangladesh

Disproportionately little attention has been paid to the dry season trade‐off between rice and (inland capture) fish production on the floodplains of Bangladesh, compared to the same trade‐off during the flood season. As the rural economy grows increasingly dominated by dry‐season irrigated rice production, and floodplain land and water come under ever‐increasing pressure during the dry winter months, there is an urgent need to focus attention on these dry months that are so critical to the survival and propagation of the floodplain resident fish, and to the poor people that depend on these fish for their livelihood. This article examines three important dry‐season natural resource constraints to floodplain livelihoods in Bangladesh, and finds a common factor at the heart of all three: rice cultivation on lands at low and very low elevations. The article articulates the system interlinkages that bind these constraints and the long‐run trend towards irrigated rice cropping on lower‐lying lands, and suggests a management approach based on locally tailored strategies to arrest this trend. Apart from its direct relevance to the floodplains of Bangladesh, which support more than 100 million people, these lessons have relevance for river floodplain systems elsewhere in the developing world, notably the Mekong Delta.     

The ecohealth system and the community engagement movement in foundations: A case study of mutual benefits from grants funded by the United Nations Foundation

Ecohealth is a process for identifying key environmental determinants causing mortality or morbidity and combating them by mobilizing multiple social sectors. Evolving out of the concept of environmental health, ecohealth provides a framework for long‐term sustainability. The health outcomes anticipated by environmental interventions are part of a long‐term agenda and require fundamental groundwork for the growth of community‐driven development. Building long‐term sustainability requires that two key approaches be developed through ecohealth. The first is the strengthening of local community institutions, whether formal or informal. The second is building financial mechanisms that are more diversified and less reliant on a single donor. As a result, the ecohealth system provides an opportunity for foundations to empower communities, build cross‐cutting cooperation, and gain knowledge through projects. If people's environmental behaviour is to change and be sustained in the long term to produce desired health outcomes, this will require all members of society to be capable of functioning within the existing institutional infrastructure. This means that not only do formal institutions need to become more accessible but also that concepts relating to local informal institutions must be incorporated into ecohealth projects. It is imperative that we identify and understand relevant local institutions and how they can be transformed so that new environmental forms of behaviour can be sustained and result in positive health outcomes. The intersection of environmental and health concerns provides an ideal area in which the gap between government and civil society can be bridged — not only providing solutions to ecohealth concerns, but building government capacity in general and making these positive changes sustainable in the long term. This article is a case study, based on several United Nations Foundation grants. It outlines the significance of traditional community organizations, the breadth of their long‐term relations with communities, their resources, and the adoption of sustained forms of behaviour. In addition, the article highlights the role that international foundations can play in creating innovative financing mechanisms through community‐based foundations.     

开发长江流域水库渔业的思考

长江流域水库密集,蕴藏着巨大的渔业资源,由于人口增加,耕地减少,保护土地成为国策,今后靠用耕地开挖池塘养鱼来增加水产品产量已不可能;我国传统的四大海洋经济鱼类,因过度捕捞,已不成渔汛,湖泊不断减少,江河环境受到不同程序的污染,使湖泊,灌河渔业产量下降。相反,随着岁月流长,人类进步,经济繁荣,人工湖－即水库将会不断增加。     

ADMINISTRATIVE,INSTITUTIONAL, AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ACTIVE WATER MARKET1

ABSTRACT: Voluntary water transfers through markets have been advocated by many diverse groups as a means to reallocate scarce water supplies in the semi-arid western U.S. Although transfers of water rights have occurred almost since the creation of prior appropriation laws over a century ago, functioning water markets have been very slow to develop and are few in number. The structure, composition, administration and transactions of one of the most well established water markets, shares in the Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado-Big Thompson project, are examined to better understand the institutional and transfer conditions that sustain an active water market. Results from a detailed study of C-BT project records reveal that between 1970 and 1993 there were 2,698 transactions through which over one-third of the project water changed ownership or type of use. Further analysis shows that the transactions involved many individual sellers and categories of buyers with different uses, including agricultural buyers. The transfer activity and efficiency of the C-BT market has lead some to suggest that it be used as a model for other markets. However, because this market has fewer institutional restrictions, a well developed infrastructure and unique market conditions, it will be difficult to transfer this model to other areas without accompanying modifications in water right administration and institutions.     

Problems and constraints in Philippine municipal fisheries: The case of San Miguel Bay,Camarines Sur

The Philippine fisheries accounted for 3.7% of the gross national product at current prices. The sector employed about 990,872 persons. Of the divisions comprising the industry, municipal fisheries continued to contribute the largest share of fish production. However, the sector is beset with problems, many of which are best examplified by the case of San Miguel Bay (SMB). This paper presents the problems and constraints confronting SMB, a common property resource. This bay's open access condition has led to various problems, such as declining fishery resources, depressed socioeconomic conditions, illegal fishing, increasing population, and conflict among resource users. A poor marketing system, low level of fishing technology, fishermen's noncompliance and authorities' lax enforcement of rules and regulations, as well as lack of alternative sources of income further characterize the condition in SMB. Establishment of fishing rights, improvement of the marketing system, provision of alternative sources of income, and improvement of fishing technology were some of the solutions suggested. One major constraint, however, is financial, Comanagement complemented with other management tools has been proposed in addressing the problems in SMB.