Overview

Over the past century, humans have molded the Colorado River to serve their own needs, resulting in significant impacts to the river and its ecosystems. Today, many scientists, public officials, and citizens hope to restore some of the lost resources in portions of the river and its surrounding lands. Environmental restoration on the scale of the Colorado River basin is immensely challenging; in addition to an almost overwhelming array of technical difficulties, it is fraught with perplexing questions about the appropriate goals of restoration and the extent to which environmental restoration must be balanced against environmental changes designed to promote and sustain human economic development. Restoring Colorado River Ecosystems explores the many questions and challenges surrounding the issue of large-scale restoration of the Colorado River basin, and of large-scale restoration in general. Robert W. Adler evaluates the relationships among the laws, policies, and institutions governing use and management of the Colorado River for human benefit and those designed to protect and restore the river and its environment. He examines and critiques the often challenging interactions among law, science, economics, and politics within which restoration efforts must operate. Ultimately, he suggests that a broad concept of “restoration” is needed to navigate those uncertain waters, and to strike an appropriate balance between human and environmental needs. While the book is primarily about restoration of Colorado River ecosystems, it is also about uncertainty, conflict, competing values, and the nature, pace, and implications of environmental change. It is about our place in the natural environment, and whether there are limits to that presence we ought to respect. And it is about our responsibility to the ecosystems we live in and use.

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9781597260572

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Reviews

Like a skilled surgeon, Adler opens up the Colorado River to show what we have done to make it bleed and what it will take to restore some measure of ecological health. Without bluster or sentimentality, he explains just how challenging the job is, and he pulls no punches describing the technical, political, economic, and legal obstacles that lie in the way. --Joseph L. Sax Professor, University of California, Berkeley, author of Mountains Without Handrails

In Restoring Colorado River Ecosystems, Robert Adler has brought his orderly mind to bear on the vast complexities of the Colorado River. He asks, 'What are we willing to give back in order to recover what has been lost?' He answers with bold and reasoned judgments to pack in our river bags as we make our way downstream. --Stephen Trimble author of Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography

Like a skilled surgeon, Adler opens up the Colorado River to show what we have done to make it bleed and what it will take to restore some measure of ecological health. Without bluster or sentimentality, he explains just how challenging the job is, and he pulls no punches describing the technical, political, economic, and legal obstacles that lie in the way. --Joseph L. Sax Professor, University of California, Berkeley, author of

Author Information

Robert W. Alder is associate dean for academic affairs and the James I. Farr Chair and Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah. He studies and writes about protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

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