U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Nature Conservancy Collaborate to Improve Nation's, World's Great Rivers for People and Nature

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and The Nature Conservancy broadened their decade-long agreement to work together on improving the health of the large working rivers nationally and globally during a signing ceremony Tuesday at Memphis's Mississippi River Museum.  The agreement includes increasing collaboration across the Mississippi River Basin and other great rivers in the U.S. under the Great Rivers Partnership (GRP) and expanding recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast.

The partners' collaboration was broadened by the signing of an addendum to a memorandum of understanding originally signed by USACE and the Conservancy in 2000 to facilitate the effective and efficient management of important biological resources within the context of the USACE civil works and regulatory missions. The addendum is focused around the concept of managing large, "working" rivers with a whole-basin approach – one that coordinates the management, development and conservation of water, land and related resources within a given river basin.

"The addendum further strengthens our partnership with The Nature Conservancy and maximizes the economic and social benefits our society receives from large rivers.  We will continue to preserve and restore our natural resources for future generations," said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, a signatory on the addendum.

"Watershed approaches to the management of the nation's rivers helps us maintain and improve the benefits of these river systems like improved flood risk management, hydropower, navigation, recreation, and wildlife habitat," said Darcy.  

Conservancy GRP Director Michael Reuter, who also signed the document, said, "This addendum represents the latest example of collaboration between the Corps and The Nature Conservancy.  The agreement builds on our long history of working with the Corps – the largest manager of water resources in the world – on more than 50 projects in the U.S. and globally to ensure our great rivers work for people and nature."

Reuter explained the mission of the GRP is to use lessons learned on the Mississippi River as a foundation for exchanging knowledge with other managers of large rivers around the world. "Our goal is to find common solutions to common dilemmas faced by the world's great rivers," he said.

As an example, Reuter pointed to an exchange between USACE, the Conservancy and the Cormagdalena, the agency tasked with the management of Colombia's Magdalena River. During the exchange, the researchers discussed sediment management issues, navigation needs and flood risk management. The trip culminated with an agreement to work together to develop a plan that identifies and outlines best practices and strategies for the sustainable management of the Magdalena River.

One focus of the addendum is on advancing proof-of-concept sites that demonstrate the benefits of basin-scale management of large rivers. Another key component to the addendum is the recognition that collaboration among the many stakeholders along the Mississippi – and any other large river – is critical to achieving a truly whole-basin, sustainable approach to the management of rivers.

USACE, through its Institute for Water Resources located in Alexandria, Va., hosts the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM), a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) global Category 2 center.  ICIWaRM, also a signatory to the addendum today, is focused on capacity development and the application of practical science and engineering to advance systems-based, sustainable solutions to international water resources problems.  TNC is one of the world's leading conservation organizations working worldwide to protect ecologically significant lands and waters for nature and people with a focus on science and non-confrontational solutions.

Also signing the addendum, which will be available at http://www.usace.army.mil/CEMP/iis/Pages/MOADatabase.aspx, were Robert Pietrowsky, director of the USACE Institute for Water Resources, and Bill Ginn, the Conservancy's conservation officer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works in more than 100 countries, providing engineering and construction services, environmental restoration and management services, research development assistance, management of water and land related natural resources, relief and recover work, and other management and technical assistance. USACE, through its Institute for Water Resources, hosts ICIWaRM, a global center under the auspices of UNESCO and focusing on capacity development and the application of practical science and engineering to advance systems-based, sustainable solutions to international water resources problems.

The Nature Conservancy is one of the world's leading conservation organizations working worldwide to protect ecologically significant lands and waters for nature and people with a focus on science and non-confrontational solutions. The mission of TNC's Great Rivers Partnership is to bring together diverse partners and sound science to expand options for achieving the sustainable management and development of the world's great river basins. The GRP seeks shared solutions to common land- and water-use dilemmas, recognizing the inescapable linkages between our economy, human well-being and ecosystem sustainability. The GRP is recognized regionally and globally for advancing integrated river basin management on large working rivers.

SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers