Lindsey Johnson Western Water Resources Guest Speaker

 In class, Charlie Kloppenburg discussed western water resources and how human culture and ecosystems are interconnected. He talked about different viewpoints of nature including biocentrism, ecocentrism, and anthropocentrism. Biocentrism states that all living things have equal moral value, ecocentrism states that nature is more valuable than humans, and anthropocentrism states that humans are more valuable than nature. His main discussion included the idea that cultures and landscapes have evolved together over time and are influenced by water being a limiting resource. Streams adjust to changing conditions in many different ways including laterally, vertically, longitudinally, and temporally. An example of a way a stream changes is when farmers carve new channels when agriculture starts to encroach, which changes the ability of certain species to exist. An invasive species might start growing instead. In the United States, the east gets more than 20 inches of rain a year, whereas the west gets less than 20 inches, which shows that we would have not been able to develop the west without irrigation and other systems. People have been adapting to their landscapes for thousands of years. For example, the acequias in New Mexico allow agriculture to exist there by slowing, sinking, and spreading limited water. However, there are pros and cons to these adaptations, especially modern ones. Dams and other modern adaptations can provide electricity, irrigated agriculture, flood control, and hurricane protection, but they can also cause deforestation and soil loss, which negatively affect resources and agriculture. Land has also been shrinking because we pump out so much of the groundwater for various uses. I found Charlie's presentation extremely interesting because it revealed the interconnectedness of human activities and natural systems on a level I had never really thought about before. However, many human adaptations are destroying nature and ruining ecosystems. His presentation shed some light on the need for more sustainable practices when dealing with water. After the presentation, I am wondering how biocentrism, ecocentrism, and anthropocentrism shape water restoration efforts. I think that society should be more educated on this topic to foster more community action in order to combat growing environmental effects, such as climate change.

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