Ecosystem Management and the Role of Water Resources

Adell L. Amos, University of Oregon, School of Law

Abstract

Water is a component of every ecosystem and a necessary piece in the protection of ecological integrity. Often the focus in land conservation is on the physical metes and bounds of a particular parcel of land without adequate consideration for other components necessary for land protection. Without water, the conservation goals associated with land set aside by federal or state governments, non-governmental entities or private individuals cannot be achieved. The need to address water resources as part of ecosystem protection is more pronounced in the face of ever-increasing water shortages, familiar in the western United States and quickly moving east.