PARENT SESSION
Special Session 2: Uplands to Lowlands: A holistic approach to sustainable water resources
Organized by: E Blood and M Holland
Monday, August 4. 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, SITCC Oglethorpe Auditorium.

Ethics, Social Values and Commitment as Conditions for Sustainable Water Management.

Feldman, David^*,,

ABSTRACT- There are ethical alternatives for helping policymakers manage water resources in a sustainable manner. Sustainable development is an ethical concept predicated on the ability to encompass economic prosperity and social capacity. The latter embraces the ability to live a fulfilled existence in which basic needs are satisfied, and in which the opportunity for personal growth and fellowship within a larger community that embraces nature is present. To achieve sustainability, a water management system must: encompass the interests of all watershed stakeholders; protect future generations who are not in a position to affect present-day decisions; preserve and restore the integrity of natural systems; and empower affected parties. To achieve sustainability requires adopting a regional approach to managing water that transcends political jurisdictions and more faithfully connects social institutions and watersheds. Such an approach would: recognize that water problems in one part of a region affect the welfare of other parts; acknowledge interrelationships among physical, ecological, social, economic, and institutional factors; provide a comprehensive, coordinated decision-making framework to enhance cooperation among jurisdictions, agencies, and stakeholders; and anticipate sources of conflict before they lead to impasse. I develop this argument in three ways. First, I show that U.S. water resources policy has been based on a defective philosophy: a combination of utilitarianism and gratuitous favor. This philosophy has sought to produce the greatest benefits for the largest number of beneficiaries at the lowest possible cost to the latter. Second, I analyze the features of three alternative ethical approaches to water management: covenants, categorical imperatives, and stewardship. Third, I contend that implementing these alternatives requires embracing a social learning paradigm that utilizes adaptive management so we can: 1) recognize previous mistakes; 2) monitor and measure change; 3) adopt mid-course corrections; and, 4) apply what we have learned to larger, more complex contexts.

Key words: stewardship, ethics, social learning, adaptive management