Watershed Management Tools

PROCEEDINGS: International Conference on Local Capacity Building for Healthy Watersheds — by Mindaugas Gudas — last modified 2007-07-07 22:38

, June 24 – 26, 2004; Wingspread Conference Center Racine, Wisconsin, USA. The purpose of this conference was to develop a local capacity building model for healthy watersheds that can be adapted for use successfully in any region of the world. The results of the conference affirm and offer a clear interpretation of how local communities can prepare themselves to manage the watershed in which they live and depend upon for a productive and healthy economy, ecological biodiversity, food production and safe drinking water. The generalized model developed for local capacity building will be a useful road map for planning how land and water may be utilized for the greatest benefit by people living in diverse locations worldwide. Thirtynine professional water managers from 17 different countries participated in the conference and contributed to these proceedings to offer advice on how the model could be applied in their home regions. Variations of the model are currently being field tested in pilot projects or in planning efforts in South Africa, Mexico, and China with potential for additional application elsewhere by conference participants. The Global Environmental Management Education Center (GEM) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point continues to monitor these projects and to promote additional collaboration between conference participants.