Competing community interests related to water access, use and conservation sets the stage for the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Plan.
Discover how representatives of diverse interests came together over a decade to respond to a court ruling requiring a community-based solution to the public’s interest in water. Learn more about how the role of water law, hydrology, drought of record, threatened and endangers species and stakeholder analysis provided a context for community discussion. Discover the practices used to support stakeholder collaboration. Practices include social interaction, ground rules, reaching agreement on scientific evidence and decision-making processes led to an innovative long-range plan for recovery.
Discussion Questions:
- What was the role of the USFWS in development of the Recovery and Implementation Plan?
- List at least 5 stakeholder groups involved in the development of the Recovery and Implementation Plan.
- What were the benefits of stakeholders meeting over lunch?
- List at least 3 ground rules supporting communication and decision making?
- What innovative practices does the Recovery and Implementation Plan highlight?
- What are your lessons learned from the development process of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Plan?
Learn more about the power and ingenuity of community collaboration.
Community stakeholders describe the importance of the Edward Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan in their own words. Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (14 minutes).
Presenter: Kevin Connally, Region 5 Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Coordinator
US Fish & Wildlife Service
