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Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin

April 28, 2019

During the last 50 years, construction of dams in the western United States declined. This is partly because of increasing recognition of diverse and unintended social-ecological consequences of dams. Today, resource managers are recognizing the wide array of tradeoffs and are including a more diverse group of stakeholders in decision making for individual dams. Yet decisions at the regional scale maintain a focus on a limited number of resources and objectives, leading to inefficient and inequitable outcomes. Social-ecological changes compounded by climate change challenge this management paradigm. Increasing water demands for humans and the environment and renewed interest in hydropower present opportunities for operations that include climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies while considering tradeoffs and equitable responses at the regional scale.

Publication Year 2019
Title Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin
DOI 10.1016/j.cosust.2019.04.002
Authors Lucas S. Bair, Charles B. Yackulic, John C. Schmidt, Denielle M. Perry, Christine J. Kirchhoff, Karletta Chief, Benedict J. Colombi
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
Index ID 70203629
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Southwest Biological Science Center