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Summary: Institutional Evolution in Lake Okeechobee Management
in Florida: Characteristics, Impacts, and Limitations
Neeraj Vedwan & Sajjad Ahmad &
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm & Kenneth Broad &
David Letson & Guillermo Podesta
Received: 6 November 2005 /Accepted: 17 April 2007
# Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2007
Abstract The management of Lake Okeechobee in Florida has undergone significant
changes in the last decade. Socio-political, environmental and demographic factors have
driven changes in the environmental and water policy, which in turn have led to wide-
ranging institutional changes and a shift toward multiobjective planning and implementa-
tion in the Lake management. This article describes the changes in the philosophy and
practice of water resources management in South Florida hydrologic system, of which Lake
Okeechobee is a crucial component. The impacts of the changes on management goals and
decision processes are illustrated through a case study of the use of climate information in
Lake management. The article concludes with a brief examination of the implications of the
institutional changes, including greater public participation, for the long-term sustainability
of the social-ecological system in South Florida.
Keywords Adaptive management . Institutional evolution . Lake Okeechobee .
Climate information . Decision making . Stakeholder . Policy. Water resources management
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