Watershed Governance in South-Central Texas: Working from the Bottom up

Abstract:

The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a set of key concepts that can guide the development of ecological governance systems and briefly describe a watershed ecological governance project in south-central Texas. Ecological governance is a form of governance embedding ecological principles and values in all levels of decision making and action, from the personal to the global. The model of ecological governance discussed here incorporates ideas and approaches that are already being put into practice in many watershed governance projects in the US and abroad; it is based on the premise that contemporary governance systems will continue to evolve in this direction, incorporating more and more of the features of ecological governance. The watershed governance project described here was devised to ensure that the long-term ecological integrity of a small urbanazing waterhed in south-central Texas is preserved and that the water quality standards are maintained for present and future generations. The ecological integrity of small spring-fed watersheds in Texas are under serious threat due to rapid urban development dependent on groundwater supplies, continued drilling of personal wells that are exempt from pumping regulation, and lack of adequate legal jurisdiction for managing development in rural and semi-rural areas. The watershed governance project was motivated by a firm belief of local stakeholders that watershed protection is an individual as well as a community responsibility, and the recognition that a balance between growth and protection is essential to maintain watershed integrity. It is concluded that whereas emergent systems of ecological governance struggle to succeed in an institutional context oriented towards the pursuit of self-interest and competition, their acceptance will happen more readily as ecological principles and values diffuses throughout modern society.