The study of watershed planning is a subject that combines the biophysical and social sciences. It requires that we explore the relationships and linkages between coastal, marine and aquatic habitats and the human activities, such as water use, water pollution, and habitat loss that impact watershed ecosystems. As a consequence, this course will focus on a characterization of the ecology of aquatic ecosystems, and the impacts of human beings and climate change on these ecosystems across diverse cultural contexts. It will include a review of government and non-governmental watershed-based programs and plans that exist in less developed and industrialized countries.

The Course Outline describes the major themes of the course and associated reading assignments (including recommended readings and useful web links), and lecture topics, including case study materials. The goals of this course are:

(1) to introduce the ecological factors that influence disturbance of watershed ecosystems;

(2) to describe integrative watershed management principles;

(3) to review state, federal and international policies and programs that support watershed-based ecosystem management and integrative planning; and,

(4) to provide an overview of the major policy initiatives and planning tools that support watershed-based ecosystem management in diverse contexts.