Excerpt
There is growing evidence that the climate of the Great Lakes region is changing in ways that are likely to increase nonpoint source pollution from agricultural watersheds. Climate models suggest these changes are likely to continue and potentially intensify in the future.
The Soil and Water Conservation Society held a workshop in November 2006 to (1) evaluate the scope and magnitude of the conservation challenges and environmental threats posed to the Great Lakes ecosystem by upward trends in the amounts and intensities of precipitation and (2) recommend improvements to conservation tools, approaches, and policies to meet those challenges and to manage those threats.
Workshop participants were particularly concerned that increased probability and severity of erosion, runoff, and pollution were occurring at the same time that demands on our soil, water, and agricultural watersheds are increasing. Demand for food, fiber, land, and water are increasing with population, and the emphasis on increasing production of energy from biomass will dramatically intensify the demands placed on soil, water, and agricultural resources. More intensive and effective conservation efforts are already needed to ensure that we meet these increased demands while sustaining our natural resources and ecosystems. Climate change will multiply the challenges conservationists face …
Footnotes
Craig Cox is executive director of the soil and water Conservation society headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa.
- Copyright 2007 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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