In 1978 Canada and the United States concluded an agreement for the protection and enhancement of water quality in the Great Lakes based on the ecosystem approach to management. Since ratification of this agreement, little progress has been made in practical application of this concept to basin-wide management for the Great Lakes. At the same time public concern for the quality of the Great Lakes and their future has risen dramatically. As a result, the need has arisen for a practical, authoritative explanation of the ecosystem concept. This volume, written by highly qualified authorities, addresses these important ecological, political, and economic issues in a systematic and informative manner.In this study, the ecosystem concept and its objectives are defined. The institutional structure that has evolved for governance of the Great Lakes, the need for a more effective governance structure, and prospects for rehabilitation of the Great Lakes Waters are crucial issues considered. The management question is the single most important policy question with respect to the Great Lakes and this is the only study available that brings together all pertinent information and provides steps for new and constructive management of the Great Lakes.
Lynton K. Caldwell is Professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Public Affairs at Indiana University.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Implementing an Ecological Systems Approach to Basinwide ManagementLynton K. Caldwell 1. The Ecosystems Approach: A Strategy for the Management of Renewable Resources in the Great Lakes BasinR. L. Thomas, J. R. Vallentyne, K. Ogilvie, and J. D. Kingham 2. The Great Lakes: 1955-1985Leonard B. Dworsky 3. Institutional Arrangements for Great Lakes ManagementMichael J. Donahue 4. A Governance Structure Designed to Learn Would Better Protect the Great Lakes EcosystemLester W. Milbrath 5. Remediation and Rehabilitation of the Great LakesHenry Regier, with the assistance of Lee Botts and John E. Gannon 6. Biodancing: The 1-2-3 of Great Lakes MonitoringBruce L. Bandurski 7. The Great Lakes as a Water Resource A. Questions of Ownership and ControlJulia R. Wilder B. Great Lakes Diversions: A Conflict AssessmentSally Cole-Misch 8. Toward a More Accountable Process: The Royal Society-National Research Council ReportDon Munton 9. Great Lakes Governance and the Ecosystem Approach: Where Next?George R. Francis Appendices A. Treaty between the United States and Great Britain (1909)B. Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality (1978)C. The Great Lakes Charter, adopted by Governors and Premiers (1985) Contributors