The human-environment relationship - intimately intertwined and often contentious - is one of the most pressing concerns of the 21st century. Explored through an array of critical approaches, this book brings together case studies from across the globe to present significant cutting-edge research into political ecologies as they relate to multi-form contestations over environments, resources and livelihoods. Covering a range of issues, such as popular discourses of environmental 'collapse', climate change, water resource struggles, displacement, agro-food landscapes and mapping technologies, this edited volume works to provide a broad and critical understanding of the narratives and policies more subtly shaping and being shaped by underlying environmental conflicts. By exploring the power-laden processes by which environmental knowledge is generated, framed, communicated and interpreted, Contentious Geographies works to reveal how environmental conflicts can be (re)considered and thus (re)opened to enhance efforts to negotiate more sustainable environments and livelihoods.
Many predict that by the end of the 21st century water will dominate world natural resource politics as oil does today. At present, much of the world's water is misallocated, wasted or polluted. This book argues that fairness in the allocation of water could be the cornerstone to a more secure future for mankind.
Between 1991 and 1997, due to declines in abundance, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) made the following listings of Snake River salmon or steelhead under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as amended: sockeye salmon (listed as endangered in 1991); spring/summer chinook salmon (listed as threatened in 1992); fall chinook salmon (listed as threatened in 1992); and steelhead (listed as threatened in 1997). In 1995, NMFS issued a Biological Opinion on operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). Additional opinions were issued in 1998 and 2000. The Biological Opinions established measures to halt and reverse the declines of ESA-listed species. This created the need to evaluate the feasibility, design, and engineering work for these measures. The Corps implemented a study (after NMFs' Biological Opinion in 1995) of alternatives associated with lower Snake River dams and reservoirs. This study was named the Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study (Feasibility Study). The specific purpose and need of the Feasibility Study is to evaluate and screen structural alternatives that may increase survival of juvenile anadromous fish through the Lower Snake River Project (which includes the four lowermost dams operated by the Corps on the Snake River-Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite Dams) and assist in their recovery.
With a long history and deep connection to the Earth’s resources, indigenous peoples have an intimate understanding and ability to observe the impacts linked to climate change. Traditional ecological knowledge and tribal experience play a key role in developing future scientific solutions for adaptation to the impacts. The book explores climate-related issues for indigenous communities in the United States, including loss of traditional knowledge, forests and ecosystems, food security and traditional foods, as well as water, Arctic sea ice loss, permafrost thaw and relocation. The book also highlights how tribal communities and programs are responding to the changing environments. Fifty authors from tribal communities, academia, government agencies and NGOs contributed to the book. Previously published in Climatic Change, Volume 120, Issue 3, 2013.
This Final Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement (RE/EIS) and its 21 appendices document the results of a comprehensive analysis of the four dams on the lower Snake River (collectively called the Lower Snake River Project) and their effects on four lower Snake River salmon and steelhead stocks listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), along with Bonneville Power Agency (BPA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U S Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as cooperating agencies, analyzed four alternatives to evaluate the best way to improve juvenile salmon migration through Lower Snake River Project
This Final Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement (RE/EIS) and its 21 appendices document the results of a comprehensive analysis of the four dams on the lower Snake River (collectively called the Lower Snake River Project) and their effects on four lower Snake River salmon and steelhead stocks listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), along with Bonneville Power Agency (BPA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Bureau of reclamation (BOR) as cooperating agencies, analyzed four alternative to evaluate the best way to improve juvenile salmon migration through Lower Snake River Project. The Final FR/EIS includes the best available information on the biological effectiveness, engineering components, costs, economic effects, and other environmental effects associated with the four alternatives: Alternative 1-Existing Conditions, Alternative 2-Maximum Transport of Juvenile Salmon, Alternative 3-Major System Improvements (Adaptive Migration), and Alternative 4-Dam Breaching. In the Final FR/EIS, the Corps identifies Alternative 3-Major System Improvements (Adaptive Migration) as the recommended plan (preferred alternative) and explains the process for selecting that alternative.
The second-longest European river after the Volga, the Danube is one of the world’s most important rivers in terms of its geographical and historical significance. In recent history, it has served as a major international waterway and numerous cities, including four capitals, have been founded on its banks. The 2826km-long Danube has a watershed measuring 801,093 km2 that is now shared between 19 countries, from its source in the Black Forest to the Black Sea, into which it pumps an average of 827 km3 of water a year. This book describes and explains key landscape values interactions (geographical, cultural and natural heritage). It also identifies the threats and various types of human impact affecting this system in all the countries of the Danube River Basin, based on the investigations and perspectives of a team of experienced naturalists, and in the context of the early 21st century, in which the human-nature relationship is still far from balanced. These studies demonstrate how biodiversity, conservation and ecological studies can help us successfully promote mutual cooperation and combine our efforts to address problems as a responsible continent.