Towards ecosystem-based urban governance : the role of community-based stream stewardship groups
Date
2001
Authors
Botelho, Zita Marie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study endeavors to demonstrate the importance of communities and civil society, in making our cities more ecologically sustain_able. Water is the ecological component that is the point of departure for this thesis. The stewardship of water, specifically, community based stream stewardship is examined as a vehicle for using ecosystem-based governance to manage environmental problems in a systematic way to mitigate and prevent the further degradation of our urban areas.
The thesis discusses the integration of ecosystem-based management and urban governance theory. The study used a multi-method methodology including a program evaluation framework, interviews with over thirty stewardship group members, NGOs and government officials and a detailed case study. The case study includes a profile of the watershed and reviews applicable jurisdictional and legal considerations that are relevant to a discussion of stream stewardship and local governance. The program evaluation conducted examined the characteristics of "successful" stewardship groups and was applied to four survey cases. The results compiled contributed to the evaluation applied to the case study of the Hagan Creek/KENNES Watershed project located on Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
The findings of this study demonstrate that community-based stream stewardship groups are making important contributions to ecosystem-based governance. They are catalysts for interdepartmental (engineers, planners and policy people) , and multiple levels of government cooperation. Stewardship groups collect data and local historical information on an ecosystem basis and are building a common understanding of ecosystem issues. Stream stewardship groups are changing social values & educating both the public & government officials about local ecosystem conditions.