Aquatic resources in arid lands: Issues and opportunities

Abstract

. The purpose of the conferencewas to assemble experts in sustainable water use, aquaticecosystems, genetics and species conservation to explorewater issues in arid and semi-arid regions from social andecological perspectives. A focus on aquatic resources inarid lands provides insight for management of aquatic re-sources in all regions of the World. Although stresses thathumans place on aquatic resources appear similar in allregions, they are more acute and potentially long lastingin arid and semi-arid regions. Because of their sensitivityto disturbance, knowledge gained from studying aquaticresources in arid regions may provide early warnings ofpotential problems in less arid regions. Water is clearly one of the most important natural resources in the western United States as well as in many other regions of the World. The availability of wa-ter continues to be a primary limitation for crop and live-stock production, urban growth and economic develop-ment, and management of indigenous aquatic species.Worldwide demand for water has more than tripled since1950 and is projected to double again by 2035 (Postel,1997). Approximately 3.4 billion people may be living in water-scarce or water-stressed conditions by 2025(Engelman et al., 2000) and the most susceptible popu-lations are those in arid environments. An importantchallenge is to balance highly variable water supplies in a manner that can sustain competing demands posedby urban developments, agriculture, and ecological systems.