Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T00:15:25.812Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Governing the urban wetlands: a multiple case-study of policy, institutions and reference points

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2013

MISSAKA HETTIARACHCHI ,
CLIVE McALPINE  and
T. H. MORRISON
MISSAKA HETTIARACHCHI*
Affiliation:
Environmental Planning Research Group, School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
CLIVE McALPINE
Affiliation:
School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
T. H. MORRISON
Affiliation:
Environmental Planning Research Group, School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
*
*Correspondence: Missaka Hettiarachchi Tel: +61 430 610 783 e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Worldwide, coastal and floodplain wetlands are rapidly urbanizing, making them highly vulnerable to biodiversity loss, biological invasion and climate change. Yet urban wetlands management is an understudied area of global environmental research. Different policy approaches and institutional arrangements in place for urban wetlands governance have to be studied comparatively to obtain a better understanding of the current issues. This paper investigates four urban wetland policy regimes and the application of ecological reference points across four countries. The regimes are discussed within the context of global policy trends, urbanization patterns and environmental change. The analysis illustrates that the four cases deviate substantially in certain characteristics and converge in others. Global trends such as environmental treaties and restructuring of city spaces are common policy drivers for all cases. Conversely, the localized specific problems have yielded specialized policy responses in each case. Declaration of fixed biological reference points for wetlands were not used at any stage of the policy development process. However, the wetland managers formally or informally set up ecosystem-services oriented benchmarks for urban wetland management. Globally-applicable normative policy directives or universal ecological reference points seem bound to fail in urban wetlands governance. However, in designing effective urban wetland policy and institutions at the regional scale, both context-specific and generalized lessons from empirical policy evaluation of multiple case studies need to be jointly considered. Based on the characteristics of the policy regimes analysed in this study, a hypothetical framework for urban wetland policy evaluation is proposed; this has yet to be validated by empirical application to actual cases.

Keywords

environmental governanceinstitutionspolicy developmentreference pointsurban wetlands
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 41 , Issue 3 , September 2014 , pp. 276 - 289
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adger, N.W. & Luttrell, C. (2000) Property rights and utilization of wetlands. Ecological Economics 35: 75–89.Google Scholar
Alston, L.J. (1996) Empirical works of institutional economics: an overview. In: Empirical Studies in Institutional Change, ed. Alston, L.J., Eggertsson, T. & North, D.C., pp. 25–31 New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Amezaga, M. & Santamaria, L. (2000) Wetland connectedness and policy fragmentation: steps towards a sustainable European wetland policy. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (B) 25: 635–640.Google Scholar
Association of State Wetland Managers (2011) State Wetlands Programs: New York. Association of State Wetland Managers, Windham, ME, USA [www document]. URL http://www.aswm.org/state-summaries/781-new-york Google Scholar
Banerjee-Guha, S. (2007) Post-Fordist urban space of Mumbai: the saga of contemporary restructuration. In: Indian Cities in Transition, ed. Shaw, A., pp. 260–283. Chennai, India: Orient Longman.Google Scholar
Beauregard, R.A. (1991) Capital restructuring and the new built environment of global cities. New York and Los Angeles. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 15: 90–105.Google Scholar
Bowman, M. (2002) The Ramsar Convention on wetlands: has it made a difference? In: Year Book of International Co-Operation on Environment and Development 2002/03, ed. Stokke, O.S., pp. 62–68. London, UK: Earthscan Publications.Google Scholar
Bunting, S.W., Pretty, J. & Edwards, P. (2010) Wastewater-fed aquaculture in the East Kolkata wetlands, India: anachronism or archetype for resilient ecocultures? Reviews in Aquaculture 2: 138–153.Google Scholar
Bureau of Marine Resources (2011) Tidal wetlands. Albany. Department of Environmental Conservation New York, NY, USA [www document]. URL http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4940.html Google Scholar
Calcutta High Court (1992) People united for better living in Calcutta, public and anrv versus State of West Bengal and others. High Court of West Bengal, India [www document]. URL http://indiankanoon.org/doc/508234/ Google Scholar
CEA (1994) Wetland site report and conservation management plan: Colombo flood detention areas. Report. Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
Clare, S., Krogman, N., Foote, L. & Lemphers, L. (2011) Where is the avoidance in the implementation of wetland law and policy? Wetland Ecological Management 19: 165–182.Google Scholar
Clarke, J.N. & McCool, D. (1985) Staking Out the Terrain: Power Differentials Among Natural Resource Management Agencies. Albany, NY, USA: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (2010) Wadden Sea Plan 2010 [www document]. URL http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/management/wadden-sea-plan-2010 Google Scholar
Desai, U. (1998) Environment, economic growth and government in developing countries. In: Ecological Policy and Politcs in Developing Countries, ed. Desai, U., pp. 1–45. New York, NY, USA: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Dhrubajyoti, G. (1985) Cleaner rivers: the least cost approach. Kolkata. Report. State Planning Board, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.Google Scholar
Dixon, A.B. (2008) The resilience and sustainability of local wetland management institutions in Illubabor and Western Wellega, Ethiopia. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 29: 341–356.Google Scholar
Dugan, P. (1993) Wetlands in Danger. London, UK: Mitchell Beazley, and the IUCN.Google Scholar
Edyvane, K.S. (1999) Coastal and marine wetlands in Gulf St. Vincent, South Australia: understanding their loss and degradation. Wetlands Ecology and Management 7: 83–104.Google Scholar
Ehrenfeld, J.G. (2000) Evaluating wetlands within an Urban Context. Urban Ecosystems 4: 69–85.Google Scholar
Ehrenfeld, J.G. (2004) The expression of multiple functions in urban forested wetlands. Wetlands 24: 719–733.Google Scholar
Ehrenfeld, J.G. (2008) Exotic invasive species in urban wetland: environmental correlates and implications for wetlands management. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: 1160–1169.Google Scholar
ELI (2008) State wetland protection: New York. Environmental Law Institute, New York, NY, USA [www document] URL http://www.eli.org/pdf/core_states/New_York.pdf Google Scholar
Emerton, L. & Bos, L. (2004) Value-Counting Ecosystems as Water Infrastructure. Geneva, Switzerland: IUCN.Google Scholar
Fennessy, M.S., Jacobs, A.D. & Kentula, M.E. (2004) Review of Rapid Methods for Assessing Wetland Condition. Washington, DC, USA: US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Ghosh, D. (2005) Ecology and Traditional Wetlands Practice, Lessons from the Wastewater Utilization in the East Calcutta Wetlands. Kolkata, India: Worldview.Google Scholar
Gopal, B. (2003) Perspectives on wetland science, application and policy. Hydrobiologia 490: 1–10.Google Scholar
Government of Sri Lanka (2006) Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (amendment) Act No. 35 of 2006. Government of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka [www document]. URL http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/oeur/lxwesri.htm Google Scholar
Government of West Bengal (2006) West Bengal Act VII of 2006. The East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation And Management) Act, 2006 [www document]. URL http://www.elaw.in/wetland/ecwact.html Google Scholar
Greenberg, M.R. (2007) Environmental Policy Analysis and Practice. New Jersey, USA: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Harris, N. (2007) Globalization and management of Indian cities. In: Indian Cities in Transition ed. Shaw, A., pp. 1–29. Chennai, India: Orient Longman.Google Scholar
Hettiarachchi, M. & de Alwis, A. (2009) Interim report: research project on sustainable utilization of water services of wetlands around the city of Colombo in urban development. Report. Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
Hettiarachchi, M., de Alwis, A., Wijekoon, S. & Athukorale, K. (2014) Urban wetlands and disaster resilience of Colombo, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in Built Environment 5: (in press).Google Scholar
Hettiarachchi, M., Anurangi, J. & de Alwis, A. (2011) Characterisation and description of surface water quality in the threatened urban wetlands around the city of Colombo. Journal of Wetlands Ecology 5: 10–19.Google Scholar
Hinrichsen, D. (1998) Coastal Waters of the World: Trends, Threats, and Strategies. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.Google Scholar
Hobbs, R.J., Higgs, E. & Harris, J.A. (2009) Novel ecosystems: implications for conservation and restoration. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 24: 599–605.Google Scholar
Howlett, M. & Ramesh, M. (1995) Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems. Toronto, Canada; New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Janicke, M. & Weidner, H. (1997) National Environmental Policies. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.Google Scholar
Keddy, P.A. (1983) Freshwater-wetland, human induced changes: indirect effects must also be considered. Environmental Management 7: 299–302.Google Scholar
Kentula, M., Gwin, S. & Pierson, S. (2004) Tracking changes in wetlands with urbanization: sixteen years of experience in Portland, Oregon USA. Wetlands 24: 734–743.Google Scholar
Kundu, N. (2010) East Kolkata Wetlands: an introduction. Report. East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority, New Delhi, India and Wetlands International, South Asia.Google Scholar
Levina, N., Elronb, E. & Gasithb, A. (2009) Decline of wetland ecosystems in the coastal plain of Israel during the 20th century: implications for wetland conservation and management. Landscape and Urban Planning 92: 220–232.Google Scholar
Lewis, W.M. (2001) Wetlands explained: wetland science, policy, and politics in America. New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Libecap, G. (1996) Towards understanding property rights. In: Empirical Studies in Institutional Change, Alston, L.J., Eggertsson, T. & North, D.C., pp. 34–59. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lindblom, C.E. (1959) The science of ‘muddling through’. Public Administration Review 19: 79–88.Google Scholar
Majumdar, A. (2008) The East Calcutta (Kolkota) wetlands: the city sewage treatment system of Kolkota, a city of 14 million. The Society of Wetland Scientists Bulletin 25: 21–23.Google Scholar
Marcuse, P. & Kempen, R.V. (2000) Conclusion: a changed spatial order. In: Globalizing Cities: A New Spatial Order?, ed. Marcuse, P. & Kempen, R.V., pp 249–275. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publications Google Scholar
Mitsch, W.J. & Gosselink, J.G. (2007) Wetlands. New York, NY, USA: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
MoFE (2005) National Wetlands Policy of Sri Lanka. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Government of Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
Mushacke, F. & Picard, E. (1999) Vegetated wetlands trends of the New York and Lower Hudson River: final report. Report. New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, New York, NY, USA.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J.I. (2004) Monitoring the success of metropolitan wetland restorations: cultural sustainability and ecological. Wetlands 24: 756–765.Google Scholar
Natori, Y. (1993) Information sheet on Ramsar wetlands: Yatsu Higata. Ramsar Convention Bureau, Gland, Switzerland [www document]. URL http://www.wetlands.org/reports/ris/2JP007en.pdf Google Scholar
Natural Resources Defence Council (1990) The New York Environment Book. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.Google Scholar
Nippon Koei Co., AW Atkins Int. & RDC Ltd (1992) Greater Colombo Flood Control and Drainage Improvement Project: Review Report. RDC Ltd, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
Ostrom, E. (1990) Governing the Commons. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ostrom, E. (1999) Institutional rational choice: an assessment of the institutional analysis for development framework. In: Theories of the Policy Process, ed. Sabatier, P., pp. 21– 65. Boulder, CO, USA: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Panini, D. (1998) The Ramsar Convention and the National Laws and Policies for Wetlands in India. Gland, Switzerland: Ramsar Convention.Google Scholar
Peluso, N.L. (2007) Enclosure and privatization of neoliberal environments. In: Neoliberal Environments: False Promises and Unnatural Consequences, ed. Heynen, N., McCarthy, J., Prudham, S., & Robbins, P., pp. 89–94. Oxford, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Penning-Rowsell, E., Johnson, C. & Tunstall, S. (2006) ‘Signals’ from pre-crisis discourse: lessons from UK flooding for global environmental policy change? Global Environmental Change-Human and Policy Dimensions 16: 323–339.Google Scholar
Ramsar (2008) Resolution X.27. Wetlands and urbanization [www document]. URL http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/res/key_res_x_27_e.pdf Google Scholar
Ramsar Convention Bureau (1988) Proceedings of the Third Convention of the Contracting Parties, Regina, Canada. Gland, Switzerland: Ramsar Convention Bureau.Google Scholar
Ramsar Convention Bureau (2002) Information sheet on Ramsar wetlands: East Calcutta wetlands. Ramsar Convention Bureau [www document]. URL http://www.wetlands.org/reports/ris/2IN013en.pdf Google Scholar
Ramsar Convention Secretariat (2006) The Ramsar Convention Manual: a Guide to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), Fourth edition. Gland, Switzerland: Ramsar Convention Secretariat.Google Scholar
Renn, O. (2006) Participatory processes for designing environmental policies. Land Use Policy 23: 34–43.Google Scholar
Sabatier, P. & Weible, C.M. (2007) The advocacy coalition framework: innovations and clarifications. In: Theories of the Policy Process, second edition, ed. Sabatier, P., pp. 155–189. Boulder, CO, USA: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Santlemann, M.V. & Larson, K.L. (2004) Forward. Wetlands 24: 717–718.Google Scholar
SLLRDC (2012) Drainage and reclamation projects. Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Developement Corporation, Colombo, Sri Lanka [www document]. URL http://www.landreclamation.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=67&Itemid=108&lang=en Google Scholar
Smardon, R.C. (2009) Sustaining the Worlds Wetlands. London, UK: Springer.Google Scholar
Sonak, S., Sonak, M. & Kazi, S. (2012) Determinants of successful environmental regimes in the context of the coastal wetlands of Goa. Land Use Policy 29: 94–101.Google Scholar
Sorensen, A. (2002) The Making of Urban Japan. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
State of New York (1973) Tidal Wetlands Act. Albany, NY, USA: State of New York.Google Scholar
Sutula, M.A., Stein, E.D., Collins, J.N., Fetscher, A.E. & Clark, R. (2006) A practical guide for the development of a wetland assessment method: the California experience. JAWRA 42: 157–175.Google Scholar
Turner, R.K., van den Bergh, J., Soderqvist, T., Barendregt, A., van der Straaten, J., Maltby, E. & van Ierland, E.C. (2000) Ecological-economic analysis of wetlands: scientific integration for management and policy. Ecological Economics 35: 7–23.Google Scholar
USEPA (1986) Quality Criteria for Water. Washington, DC, USA: US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
USEPA (2007) Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual. Wetlands. Washington, DC, USA: US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
USEPA (2013) Clean Water Act, Section 404 [www document]. URL http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/sec404.cfm Google Scholar
Wickramasinghe, D.D., Abeygunawardena, R. & Hettiarachchi, M. (2012) Community structure of zooplankton in two different habitats of Kotte Kolonnawa Wetland, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Environmental Sciences 3: 965–975 Google Scholar
Xu, K., Kong, C., C, W., Liu, G., Deng, H. & Zhang, Y. (2009) Dynamic changes in Tanxgunhu wetlands over a period of rapid development (1953–2005) in Wuhan, China. Wetlands 29: 1255–1261.Google Scholar
YNOC (2007) Yatsu Higata. Narashino City Council, Japan [www document]. URL http://www.yatsuhigata.jp/english/about/index.html Google Scholar