Why is there an ecological reserve

Abstract

Water and the environment Many articles and reports refer to the ecological reserve but they mostly deal with what it is, how to estimate it, and how to implement it in practice. Not to why it is there. The concept of ecological infrastructure is explicitly linked to ecosystem services. But a recent article on that topic (see the Water Wheel July/August 2013) does not clearly link ecological infrastructure with the ecological reserve. There seem to be no discussions of the concept which are generally or widely accessible to people. All the information is in documents that are typically only read by hydrologists and aquatic ecologists. This is quite surprising because a fundamental principle like this, which requires that water is set aside to meet its requirements (and basic human needs) before any other considerations, should surely be based on strong arguments? So, how did the concept of an ecological reserve become a fundamental provision in the National Water Act of 1998?

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