Towards an integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use biodiversity: Lessons learned from the Rideau River biodiversity project

Abstract

In the quest to conserve global biological resources there has been a growing recognition that conventional scientific methods and institutional arrangements are not always effective in dealing with the biophysical complexities and sociopolitical dimensions of biodiversity issues. Meeting these challenges requires an integrated approach that combines scientific methods with societal values. Community-based research promotes social change, by building the capacity of communities to find collective and culturally appropriate ways to achieve sustainable development on their own terms. Ecosystem management recognizes the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems and attempts to link science, policy and societal goals through interdisciplinary research and multistakeholder decision-making. In 1998, the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada, in partnership with government agencies, educational institutions and community groups began a three-year multidisciplinary study of the ecosystem health of the Rideau River in eastern Ontario, Canada. This paper presents the Rideau River Biodiversity Project as a case study in the application of an integrated approach to assess the biodiversity of an aquatic ecosystem. Ultimately, we present a framework for an integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that combines the strengths of community-based research and ecosystem management through a process of social learning and transdisciplinary inquiry.