Breadcrumbs

Ideas Festival 2010

Why is river restoration so hard?

Professor Graham Harris, Lancaster Environment Centre
12 noon

River degradation and loss of biodiversity (originating from urbanisation, deforestation and agriculture) is a world-wide problem - and trying to restore surface waters to "good" ecological condition by carrying out catchment restoration is not achieving the desired outcomes. Large sums of money are being spent to no effect. This is science without impact - so why might this be so?
This talk will review some of the common assumptions of ecological science and of environmental management - and will show that we have made some bad assumptions about the way the world works. A more "complex" view of the world reveals deep underlying uncertainties and fundamental knowledge gaps. This has severe implications for simplistic management frameworks and the use of measures like EU Environmental Directives as management techniques. The world simply doesn't do what we want! The talk will conclude with an outline of possible alternative approaches with an eye to future restoration programmes having a greater potential for success.

Biography

Graham has worked in and around the interface between research, management and policy for more than 40 years. He specializes in trying to understand and manage the complex interactions between the environment and society; with a particular focus on water and natural resource management.

After completing a degree in Botany and PhD in Plant Ecology at Imperial College, London in the late 1960s, Graham taught at McMaster University in Canada for 15 years where he worked on the ecology and management of the Laurentian Great Lakes. He moved to Australia in 1984 and worked for CSIRO for over 20 years where he held many senior research management and executive appointments. After a spell as a private consultant based in Hobart, Tasmania, he is now Director of the Lancaster Environment Centre.

Graham is an advisor to a range of Universities, research agencies, private companies and government jurisdictions both in Australia, UK and around the world. He was awarded the CSIRO Chairman's Gold Medal in 1996 and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1997. In 2002 he was elected a life member of the International Water Academy, Oslo. He was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in April 2003 for services to environmental science and technology. Graham has published more than 150 papers, and three books. His latest book "Seeking sustainability in an age of complexity" was published by Cambridge University Press in June 2007.

Lancaster University
Bailrigg
LancasterLA1 4YW United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1524 65201