Peggy Shute
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 9:00-9:30
Management actions needed to conserve and improve aquatic habitats in the Southeastern U.S. are difficult. Less than 6% of land in the 7-state area within which TVA works is publicly managed, compared with 21% nationwide. Yet aquatic communities in the region are globally significant for their diversity of freshwater fishes, mollusks, crayfishes and other crustaceans, and insects. It is especially difficult to maintain appropriate habitat for many animals that have highly specific habitat requirements, including relatively clean substrates in rivers flowing through rapidly growing urban and industrial areas or areas important for agriculture, mining or silviculture, and through habitat barriers created by dams on major rivers. The threats to southeastern aquatic animals are many, cumulative, and interactive. However, in comparison with other regions of the country, public opinion in the southeastern U.S. is rarely in agreement with that of aquatic biologists about the importance of maintaining the rare, mostly non-game aquatic species of the region when conflicts with land and water use arise. This was especially evident with the severe drought during the summer of 2007. As a result, projects to improve adversely affected aquatic habitats without regulatory requirements may be relatively few. However, some significant improvements in major stream reaches have resulted in large-scale restoration projects, largely as a result of Federal agency requirements for compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Because of the patchwork of publicly owned lands in the Region, cooperative projects for watershed improvement are the most efficient means of obtaining positive conservation results.
Keywords: AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY, GLOBAL RARITY, COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION INITIATIVES, WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT, CONSERVATION PLANNING