Journal article
Large-scale protection and restoration programs aimed at protecting stream ecosystem integrity: the role of science-based goal-setting, monitoring, and data management
Freshwater science, v 38(1)
01 Mar 2019
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Watershed restoration for mitigating or preventing impacts of human land use on aquatic ecosystems is now big business and is far more common and consumes far more financial resources than 10 to 20 y ago. The effects of restoration are assumed to be improvements in stream ecosystem integrity. However, there is not conclusive evidence that shows that most watershed restoration and mitigation projects produce expected environmental and biological changes. Here we present and discuss 4 major challenges associated with the planning, execution, and monitoring of large-scale restoration programs aimed at improving the ecosystem integrity of streams (and their downstream rivers and estuaries), with a focus on agricultural best management practices and urban stormwater control measures. These challenges are 1) the lack of holistic planning for implementing and monitoring large-scale restoration projects, 2) planning that does not include geographic context or considerations of scale, 3) a failure to tie monitoring to specific goals and predicted improvements in ecosystems, and 4) the limited and parochial approach to monitoring taken by funding agencies. We propose solutions for these challenges based on experience gained from planning and executing a large-scale program for improving water quality of the Delaware River in eastern North America.
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Details
- Title
- Large-scale protection and restoration programs aimed at protecting stream ecosystem integrity: the role of science-based goal-setting, monitoring, and data management
- Creators
- Stefanie A. Kroll - Drexel UniversityRichard J. Horwitz - Drexel Univ, Acad Nat Sci, Patrick Ctr Environm Res, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USADavid H. Keller - Drexel Univ, Acad Nat Sci, Patrick Ctr Environm Res, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USABern W. Sweeney - Stroud Water Res Ctr, 970 Spencer Rd, Avondale, PA 19311 USAJohn K. Jackson - Stroud Water Res Ctr, 970 Spencer Rd, Avondale, PA 19311 USALin B. Perez - Drexel Univ, Acad Nat Sci, Patrick Ctr Environm Res, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA
- Publication Details
- Freshwater science, v 38(1)
- Publisher
- Univ Chicago Press
- Number of pages
- 17
- Grant note
- William Penn Foundation through the Delaware River Watershed Initiative
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Center for Environmental Policy; Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000463819900003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85061626576
- Other Identifier
- 991019167578804721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Marine & Freshwater Biology