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Summary: December 1997 769
H
umans have long been fasci-
nated by the dynamism of
free-flowing waters. Yet we
have expended great effort to tame
rivers for transportation, water sup-
ply, flood control, agriculture, and
power generation. It is now recog-
nized that harnessing of streams and
rivers comes at great cost: Many
rivers no longer support socially val-
ued native species or sustain healthy
ecosystems that provide important
goods and services (Naiman et al.
1995, NRC 1992).
The extensive ecological degrada-
tion and loss of biological diversity
resulting from river exploitation is
eliciting widespread concern for con-
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