November/December 1996
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November/December 1996 |
by David Dolan and John Hartig
In October 1995, the International Joint Commission asked its Council of Great Lakes Research Managers how Great Lakes research could be made more effective even while facing massive funding cuts. Some questions are easier to ask than answer, but the Council quickly developed an approach.
First, the Council surveyed the Great Lakes research community to learn where research budgets would likely be cut. It also recruited researchers and research managers to look for ways to continue needed research while realizing major cost savings. Part of the savings will need to come from making research programs more efficient, reducing overlap and setting priorities. Strengthening the link between research and management of environmental programs will also play a major role because, without science and research, management actions are often misguided and more costly than they should be.
Current Great Lakes problems are more complex than those that have already been addressed and solutions will be more costly. Researchers must engage members of the Great Lakes community to identify cost-saving strategies, share information and facilities, and develop partnership approaches to research. The research community should also be involved in setting research priorities so that budget reductions will be made in logical areas and new approaches found for those areas that receive no new funding. Finally, the Council seeks to identify research that is responsive to resource management goals.
The Council believes the quality of Great Lakes research is world class, especially in the application of an ecosystem approach to the research of aquatic systems. This is shown by the interest in Great Lakes research results throughout North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, and the requests for collaboration and technical assistance from around the globe.
Over the past 30 years, Great Lakes research results have been applied to a variety of problems with much success. One of the biggest success stories is the recovery of Lake Erie. At the time the lake was pronounced dead by the media, focused research efforts identified the sources of nutrients, such as phosphorus, that caused over-enrichment, oxygen depletion and unfavorable conditions for various aquatic species. Aquatic ecosystem modeling led to target phosphorus loads for Lake Erie. Engineers determined the treatment technology needed to reduce phosphorus from point sources and researchers helped to identify best management practices needed to reduce phosphorus from agriculture and other nonpoint sources. When this binational effort was put into action, Lake Erie responded as predicted. Phosphorus concentrations in the lake declined dramatically, algal blooms were much less evident and oxygen depletion was greatly reduced.
Though the broad success of phosphorus control in the Great Lakes influenced similar management efforts globally, challenges remain. The invasion of zebra mussels and other nuisance species has disrupted the food chain in Lake Erie and put additional strain on fish populations. Blue-green algal blooms have also returned to western Lake Erie following the onslaught by zebra mussels. This situation points out the need for a continued, viable research effort that can respond to new problems, identify cause-and-effect relationships and result in solutions that can be used by other regions in the world.
The survey conducted by the Council in November 1995 covered research programs with annual funding of $88 million, more than 80 percent of total Great Lakes research reported in 1991-1992. This funding peaked in 1994 and was projected to decline by as much as 50 percent by 1997. Similarly, salary dollars for research positions were projected to decrease by as much as 35 percent during the same period. Some of the planned reductions have since been reversed, in part because of concern that resulted from the survey. Research funding remains vulnerable to budget cutting, however, because it is often an investment in the future with no immediate payoff.
Though financial resources could be restored at some point, human resources are not so easily replaced. If research positions are eliminated, it will be difficult to regain a similar level of expertise. In general, it takes about ten years to train and develop effective researchers, assuming experienced researchers are there to transfer their knowledge. The viability of research is also supported by maintaining a "critical mass" of researchers at key institutions.
Largest budget impacts appear to be in the area of mass transfer of pollutants and load reduction models, according to the survey. These reductions could impact the ability to meet research commitments for Remedial Action Plans, Lakewide Management Plans, dredging, surveillance and monitoring, persistent toxic substances, nonpoint sources, contaminated sediment, airborne toxic substances and contaminated groundwater.
Another large impact would be in funding for ecotoxicology research. This would potentially impact further development of water quality objectives and indicators of recovery in the Great Lakes ecosystem from persistent toxic substances. Areas targeted for these deep cuts are critical for supporting the type of decisionmaking that led to past successes. Budget cuts were also expected for research on how climate change affects water quality, wildlife and habitat, and the application of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management.
The Council sees three possible courses of action:
As discussed, in the current fiscal climate, budgets will remain vulnerable even if restored to previous levels. The second option would ultimately undermine the quality of Great Lakes research. The third option recognizes the reality of shrinking research dollars and attempts to compensate by improving the efficiency of how research is conducted. However, it also emphasizes new directions for research. There must be a balance between focused investigation and innovative science. It is this option the Council wishes to pursue with resource managers, researchers and research managers.
The Council is continuing the dialogue by facilitating sessions at three major upcoming conferences. A white paper was distributed to all participants at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) in November 1996, and it served as background for the session the Council was invited to conduct during SOLEC. Similar sessions will be held in March 1997 at the Great Lakes Human Health Effects Research Symposium in Montréal, Québec and in June 1997 at the 40th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research in Buffalo, New York. The Council urges members of the Great Lakes research community and the concerned public to become involved in the dialogue by participating in these and other events during the coming year.
For more information, or to receive a copy of the white paper on Improving the Effectiveness of Great Lakes Research, contact David Dolan or John Hartig, International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Regional Office at (313)226-2170 or (519)257-6700; fax (519)257-6740; or visit the Council's homepage at: http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/research_greatlakes/en/cglrm_home_accueil.htm.
Sommaire
En octobre 1995, dans la perspective de restrictions budgétaires draconiennes, la Commission mixte internationale a demandé à son Conseil des gestionnaires de la recherche des Grands Lacs de trouver des façons d'améliorer l'efficacité de la recherche portant sur les Grands Lacs. C'est pourquoi le Conseil cherche une nouvelle méthode de fonctionnement.
Le Conseil animera des ateliers au cours de trois grandes conférences à venir. Un livre blanc a été distribué à tous les participants à la Conférence sur l'état de l'écosystème des Grands Lacs (CEEGL) qui se tiendra en novembre 1996; il servira de document de travail aux fins de l'atelier qui sera dirigé par le Conseil à la CEEGL. Des séances analogues se tiendront en mars 1997 au Symposium de la recherche sur les effets de la pollution des Grands Lacs sur la santé humaine, qui aura lieu à Montréal (Québec), et en juin 1997 à la 40e Conférence annuelle de la recherche sur les Grands Lacs, organisée à Buffalo, État de New York. Le Conseil incite les membres du milieu de la recherche et le public intéressé à prendre part au dialogue en assistant à ces rencontres et aux autres événements qui auront lieu au cours de la prochaine année.
Revised: 14 January 1997
Maintained by Kevin McGunagle,
mcgunaglek@ijc.wincom.net