A WatershedManagement
Approachto LandStewardship
Peter F. Ffolliott, School of RenewableNaturalResources, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721;
Malchus B. Baker, Jr., Rocky MountainResearchStation,USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff AZ 86001;
Aregai Tecle, School of Forestry,NorthernArizonaUniversity,Flagstaff AZ 86011; and
Daniel G.Neary, Rocky MountainResearchStation,USDA Forest Service, FlagstaffAZ 86001
Abstract
Becausewatershedmanagementmeansdifferentthingsto differentpeople- even experiencedwatershedmanagers
have differingperspectives- it is importantto develop andpresenta perspectiveof watershedmanagementthatfosters
understandingand appreciationof its contributionsto land stewardship.Watershedmanagementorganizesand guides
the use of land,water,andothernaturalresourcesto providethe goods andservices demandedby society, while ensuring
the sustainabilityof the soil and waterresources.A watershedmanagementapproachto land stewardshipincorporates
soil andwaterconservationandland-useplanningintoa holistic andlogical framework.This is necessarybecausepeople
are affectedby the interactionbetweenwaterand otherresources,andbecausepeople influencethe natureand severity
of these interactionswhen they use resources.Adoption of a watershedmanagementapproachto land stewardshipis
accomplishedthroughthe combinedeffortsof technicallytrainedplannersand managers,decisionmakers,locally led
advocacygroups,and otherconcernedstakeholders.
Introduction
Ask a land manager,stakeholder,and decisionmakerwhatwatershedmanagementmeans,andyou
will likely hearthreedifferentperspectives.Because
of the lack of a comprehensive, unified view of
watershedmanagement,it is importantto develop
andpresenta perspectivethat fostersunderstanding
and an appreciationof its contributionsto land
stewardship.Theperspectivepresentedin this paper
is baseduponthe following definitionsandconcepts
(Brooksetal. 1992, 1994, 1997;NationalResearch
Council 1999; Neary 2000).
A watershedis:
• A topographicallydelineatedarea drainedby a
streamsystem;
• The total land area above some point on a
streamor riverthat drainspast thatpoint;
• A hydrologic-responseunit, a physical-biological unit, and a socioeconomic political unit for
managementplanning;and
• A smallerupstreamcatchmentthat is part of a
river basin (Brooks et al. 1992, 1994, 1997;
NationalResearchCouncil 1999; Neary 2000).
A river basin is a watershedon a largerscale.
For example,the Ohio River Basin, the Mississippi
River Basin, and the ColoradoRiver Basin include
all of the watersheds that drain into the Ohio,
Mississippi, and ColoradoRivers, and their tributaries,which all eventuallyflow into the ocean.
Somepeople erroneouslybelieve thatwatershed
managementonly concernsthebiophysicalinterrelationships; however, it is much more. Watershed
management'.
Organizes and guides the use of land, water, and
other naturalresources on a watershedto provide
the goods and services demandedby society, while
ensuring the sustainability of the soil and water
resources;
• Involves the interrelationships among soil,
water, and land use, and the links between
uplandand downstreamareas;
• Considers the connection between stream
channel responses and the impacts caused by
natural or human-relatedevents on the surroundingwatershed;an
• Involves socioeconomic and human-institutional interrelationshipsalong with biophysical
interrelationships.
Keeping the above points in mind helps to guide
watershed managementpractices and identify the
institutional mechanisms needed to implement a
watershedmanagementapproachto land stewardship.
Watershedmanagementpractices are changes
in land use, vegetative cover, and other nonstructural and structuralactions conducted on a watershed to achieve ecosystem-based, multiple-use
management objectives. Objectives of watershed
managementpractices include:
• Rehabilitationof degradedlands;
• Protectionof soil and waterresourceson lands
managed to produce food, fiber, forage, and
otherproducts;
• Improvement of amenities, such as a
landscape's aesthetic value;
• Enhancementof waterquantityandquality;and
• Any combinationof these objectives.
Ffolliott, P. FMM.B. Baker, Jr., A. Tecle, and D. G. Neary. 2003. A Watershed Management Approach to Land
Stewardship. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sc/ea/ce35(1):1-4. ©2003 Peter F. Ffolliott, Malchus B.
Baker, Jr., Aregai Tecle, and Daniel G. Neary.
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A Watershed ManagementApproach to Land Stewardship + Ffolloitt, Baker, Tecle, and Neary
A watershed management approach to land
stewardshipincorporatessoil andwaterconservation
and land-use planning into a holistic and logical
framework.This is necessary because people are
positively andnegatively affectedby the interaction
between water and other resources, and because
people influence the nature and severity of these
interactionswhen they use resources.
The effects of these interactions follow
watershed,not political, boundaries- water flows
downhill despite political boundaries. Activity on
the uplands of one political unit affects other
politicalunits thatoccupy a downstreamposition in
a watershed or river basin. Because these interactions disregardpolitical boundaries, considering
naturalresource use on a broad, societal scale is
important.A watershed management approachto
land stewardshipconsiders downstreamor off-site
effects by establishingwatershedboundaries.When
off-site effects exist, ecologically sound management becomes good economics if the costs and
benefitsof the managementactivities aredistributed
amongthe involved communities,political entities,
and individuals.
Whya WatershedManagement
Approachto LandStewardship?
Naturalecosystems aremanagedto improvethe
welfare of people within the confines of the practices of a watershedmanagementapproachto land
stewardship. Watershed management activities
maximize the sustainableuse of naturalresources
and the equitable distributionof the benefits and
costs, while minimizing social disruptionand adverse environmentalimpacts(Gregersenet al. 1987;
Brooks et al. 1992, 1994, 1997; Neary 2000). As a
spatialunit of planning and management,a watershed highlights the physical aspects of the landscape. If the physical aspects of the landscape are
not recognized, natural resource loss, ecological
dysfunction,environmentaldegradation,and difficulty implementing watershed management interventionsmight result.A watershedunit containsthe
links and issues that must be considered during
futurelandstewardship(NationalResearchCouncil
1999).
Even if the land stewardshipeffort focuses on
waterresources,forestryactivities,livestockproduction, or agriculture,the following points illustrate
the importance of a watershed management
approachto land stewardship.
• A watershedis a functionalarea of a landscape
that includes the key interrelationshipsand
interdependencies for management of land,
water,and othernaturalresources.
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A watershedmanagementapproachevaluates
the biophysical relationshipbetween upstream
and downstream activities, which enables
planners, managers, and decisionmakers to
identifyandevaluateeffective landstewardship
methods. The complexities of biophysical,
economic, social, and institutionalfactorsthat
allow developmentof sustainablemanagement
programsare considered.
Using the watershedas a unitof managementis
economicalbecausea watershedinternalizesthe
off-site effects involved with land stewardship.
A watershed unit permits both upstreamand
downstream assessment of environmental
impacts, including the effects of land-use
activities on large and small ecosystems.
Consequently, the effects of upland disturbances, which result in a chain of downstream
consequences, are easily examined and evaluatedwithin a watershedcontext.
A watershedmanagementapproachconsiders
humaninteractionswith the environment.
A watershedmanagementapproachefficiently
integratesother naturalresource conservation
anddevelopmentprograms,e.g., soil andwater
conservation, forestry, farming systems, and
ruraland communitydevelopment.
A watershedmanagementapproachconsiders
naturalecosystems and social systems, in contrastto earlierapproachesthatfocusedeitheron
natural ecosystems and ignored the social
systemsor on social systemsandconsideredthe
naturalecosystem as a constraint(Gregersenet
al. 1987, Quinnet al. 1995, Brooks et al. 1997,
Neary 2000).
Adoptionof a WatershedManagementApproachto LandStewardship
Some barriersto the adoptionof a watershed
management approach to land stewardship are
actual, while others are perceived (Brooks et al.
1992; Quinnet al. 1995; Ffolliottet al. 2000, 2002).
The combinedeffortsof technicallytrainedplanners
andmanagers,decisionmakers,locally led advocacy
groups,and otherconcernedstakeholdersare overcomingbothreal andimaginedobstaclesto a watershed managementapproachto land stewardship.
ExistingBarriers
The concepts underlyinga watershedmanagementapproachto land stewardshippartiallyexplain
why this approach has not been more widely
adopted(Gregersenet al. 1987, Brooks et al. 1992,
Quinn et al. 1995, Ffolliott et al. 2002). Watershed
managementpracticesthatare implementedby one
A Watershed ManagementApproach to LandStewardship + Ffolloitt, Baker, Tecle, and Neary
political unit often affect those living outside and
especiallydownstreamof the implementingpolitical
unit. Consequently,there is often little incentive to
adopta watershedmanagementapproachthatcould
createa conflict situation.
The initiating political unit has had little
incentive to implement a watershed management
approachbecause those living outsidethatpolitical
unit often experience the impact of the watershed
managementpractices. Questionscommonly asked
by upstreamland users illustratethe complexity of
the situation:Why should we implementwatershed
managementpracticesthatprimarilybenefit downstreamusers?Why do decisionmakersexpect us to
implementa watershedmanagementapproachthat
considerspeople downstreamif we arenot compensatedfor the costs? To gain the supportnecessaryto
adopt a watershed management approachto land
stewardship,the inequitiesof who pays for andwho
benefits from a watershed management practice
must be resolved.
Other barriers to a watershed management
approachto land stewardshipinclude:
• A lack of awarenessor understandingaboutthe
concepts and practices of watershed management by the planners,managers,and decisionmakerswho areresponsibleforlandstewardship
and by the public;
• A need for trained watershed managers to
explain the natureof a watershedmanagement
approachto administrators,decisionmakers,and
the public adequately;
• Skepticismandlimitedquantitativeinformation
about the downstream benefits of watershed
managementbecause the process used to evaluate andmonitorthe effectivenessof watershed
managementis inadequate;
• Limited understanding about the difference
between the human-causedeffects of land-use
practicesandthose causedby naturalprocesses;
• Unrealistic expectations about the results of
watershedmanagementinterventions;and
• A lack of technicalexpertiseabouthow to plan,
implement,andmonitorwatershedmanagement
programs.
Technical experts are attemptingto illustrate
how watershedmanagementcan help land stewardship efforts focus on securing the flows of natural
andeconomicresources.However,this effortshould
includeevaluatingthe investment,employment,and
incomeopportunitiesandmaintainingenvironmental
quality,within a sustainableframework.
Erosion, sedimentation, and flooding occur
naturally,regardlessof humanactivities. However,
humanactivities on watershedlands affect the frequencyandseverityof theseprocesses.Forexample,
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excessive livestock grazing might influence the
occurrenceof flooding and sedimentdeposition.
Watershedmanagementimplementedto reduce
the accumulation of sediment in downstream
reservoirsappearsunsuccessful if naturalerosionsedimentationprocesses arenot noted. Specifically,
the amount of the watershed area affected by the
practices, the proximity to a reservoir, existing
levels of sedimentin the streamchannels,andother
current land uses should be considered. Early
involvement of professionals who are experienced
in the disciplines embeddedin watershedmanagement, such as hydrology, geology and soil science,
forestryandrangelandmanagement,andagronomy,
helps to meet the goals of a watershedmanagement
programsuccessfully.
Overcomingthe Barriers
The barriersto the adoption of a watershed
management approach to land stewardship are
slowly being eliminated.Most of the planners,managers,anddecisionmakerswho areconcernedabout
futureland stewardshipissues recognizethe importance of environmentallyhealthy,sustainableuse of
naturalresources(Gregersenet al. 1987; Brooks et
al. 1992, 1994; Quinn et al. 1995; Ffolliott et al.
2002). However,ignoringnaturallyoccurringboundaries and interrelationshipswill lead to serious
consequences.
A "cure all" watershed managementformula
that would effectively replace current land-use
practices does not exist. Further,development of
naturaland economic resourceswithin a watershed
managementframeworkdoes not mean that associatedprojects,programs,andactivitiesshouldbe the
sole responsibilityof watershedmanagers.Instead,
watershedmanagersshouldbe integralcomponents
in development programs that focus on water
resources,forestry,agriculture,andrelatedlandand
resource uses (Ffolliott et al. 2000, 2002). To be
effective, land-use administrators,water resource
managers,foresters,agriculturalists,in conjunction
with watershedmanagers,must practicewatershed
managementactivities.
Overcoming the barriers to a watershed
managementapproachto land stewardshiprequires
responsible government agencies and locally led
partnerships, councils, corporations, and other
institutionsto:
• Increase stakeholder awareness about the
importanceof sustainablelanduse andthe relationships that are the basis of watershedmanagement,includingthe biophysicalrealitiesand
economic, social, andculturalfactorsthataffect
land use on watershedlands;
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A Watershed ManagementApproach to Land Stewardship + Ffolloitt, Baker, Tecle, and Neary
Identifyupstreamanddownstreamstakeholders
in any watershed-useissue, and determinetheir
perceptionsand motivations;
Clarifyagency or institutionaljurisdictionover
watershedmanagementactivities, and improve
coordination. This is especially significant
because often multiple entities are responsible
fornaturalresourcemanagementon a watershed
scale;
Facilitate the local management of upland
naturalresourcesby residentson watershedsthat
areprivately owned or controlled;
Fairly distributethe benefits and costs associated with upland natural resource use and
watershed managementpractices between the
upland and downstream land users and other
stakeholders;and
Assess the short- and long-term impacts of
watershedmanagementpractices to encourage
andimprove continuedapplication.A feedback
mechanismfor this assessment should identify
whether production activities and the soil and
waterresourceson which these activitiesdepend
are sustainableunderthe currentpolicies.
Summary
The perception of watershedmanagementhas
changed throughoutthe twentieth century (Neary
2000). Watershedmanagement,at the beginning of
the century,was concerned aboutthe development
andmaintenanceof water supplies.However,today
the scope and applicationof watershedmanagement
is comprehensiveand dependsuponall the involved
partiesunderstandingthe componentsof watersheds,
and their interactions,not just the manipulationof
the physicalprocesses (Reimold 1998). The goals of
watershedmanagementare to assess the effects of
currentand anticipatedfutureland uses on soil and
water resources, determinethe potential ecological
and social impacts of these land uses, and provide
comprehensive solutions to watershed problems.
Achieving these goals depends upon the expertise
providedby watershedmanagementprofessionals.
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