| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
USEPA National Exposure Research Laboratory 960 College Station Rd. Athens, GA 30605
(burke.roger{at}epamail.epa.gov)
Howard R. Ernst, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 200 Park Ave. South, Suite 1109, New York, NY 10003. 224 p. $22.95 softcover. ISBN 0742523519. Although this book review was reviewed by the USEPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.
Human and agricultural wastes have polluted Chesapeake Bay over the last two centuries and caused a dramatic reduction in the health of the ecosystem, which in conjunction with intense fishing pressure, has led to greatly decreased harvests of oysters, blue crabs, and several species of fish. This book explores in detail shortcomings of the U.S. political process with respect to environmental policy, which the author argues are ultimately more responsible for environmental degradation of the Chesapeake Bay than industrial or agricultural development or the human population increase. The author focuses discussion of environmental and resource management policy on one important stressor, nutrients, and one important resource, the blue crab harvest.
The introduction and first two chapters focus on environmental politics and the degradation of Chesapeake Bay and its causes. The history of resource management and ecological restoration in Chesapeake Bay are discussed and an inventory of important living resources is presented. Assessment of overall ecosystem health suggests that Chesapeake Bay is 70% less productive than it would be in a natural state. The U.S. policy process is mostly driven by economic considerations, and, because environmental regulations generally lead to lowered profits, they are often resisted. Also, the fragmented U.S. political system fosters competition among state and local governments for business development, so that states or municipalities with less stringent environmental regulations are often more attractive to business (i.e., the equity issue). Finally, industry and corporate groups are typically more influential than environmental groups with respect to public policy, largely because industry groups usually seek more specific benefits (e.g., relaxed regulations) and generally commit far greater resources to political action than environmental groups.
Chapters 3 and 4 describe the interaction of politics and nutrient management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Nutrient loading has long been recognized as the greatest threat to long-term bay health. Nutrient levels in the bay are about seven times pre-human development levels, and the increased nutrient levels are directly linked to toxic algae blooms and lowered dissolved oxygen levels, which are harmful to important marine species. Although agriculture is apparently the largest source of nutrients to the bay, state governments have been unable to pass effective regulations that decrease nutrient pollution from agriculture. This is largely due to opposition by farm organizations, agribusiness, and anti-regulation politicians. Instead, state governments have relied on education and underfunded incentive programs to persuade adoption of best management practices. This approach has been inadequate as indicated by monitoring studies which showed no significant reduction in total nitrogen and phosphorus levels in bay water between 1985 and 1999.
Chapters 5 and 6 focus on ecological and political factors that influence blue crab management. Although the blue crab has high natural fecundity and is able to survive in impaired waters, increased fishing pressure and declining water quality have caused substantial declines in blue crab numbers over the last few decades and left the fishery on the brink of collapse. In addition to competition for a limited resource, the author argues convincingly that this is due primarily to a failure of the political process over the past 25 years, including differences in management techniques and philosophy between Maryland and Virginia, successful efforts of commercial fishermen and the seafood industry to stave off regulations, and the unwillingness of state politicians to transfer the cost of crab protection to the general public. Management decisions have mainly been reactionary, in response to the collapse of the bay's other major fisheries and declining blue crab harvests, rather than proactive.
The final chapter considers the bay's environmental future in the context of what has been learned about the response of the ecosystem to human-induced stresses. The author argues that laws, programs, and reforms that fail to reach their intended goals can and should be modified or replaced with better alternatives and suggests 10 political steps that could lead to improvements in the bay's environmental health.
This book is very well written and provides an easily understandable description of the political challenges faced by those proposing new or more stringent environmental regulations or programs. This book should be of interest to the general public and to students and professionals in fields such as water quality and ecosystem management, and public policy.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Agronomy Journal | Crop Science | |||
| Vadose Zone Journal | Journal of Plant Registrations | ||||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Soil Science Society of America Journal |
