Designing a Sustainable Future through Creation of North America’s only International Wildlife Refuge

In 2001, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established based on the principles of conservation and sustainability. The refuge has grown from 49.1 ha in 2001 to over 2,300 ha in 2010. Agreement on a compelling vision for a sustainable future was necessary to rally stakeholders and m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability
Main Authors: Michael A. Zarull, Rebecca S. Robinson, John H. Hartig
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2010
Subjects:
geo
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/su2093110
https://doaj.org/article/0ca5e7a0d72549be810b72209254a1c4
Description
Summary:In 2001, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established based on the principles of conservation and sustainability. The refuge has grown from 49.1 ha in 2001 to over 2,300 ha in 2010. Agreement on a compelling vision for a sustainable future was necessary to rally stakeholders and move them forward together. Project examples include: lake sturgeon and common tern restoration; soft shoreline engineering; ecotourism; sustainable redevelopment of a brownfield; and indicator reporting. Key success factors include: a consensus long-term vision; a multi-stakeholder process that achieves cooperative learning; strong coupling of monitoring/research programs with management; implementing actions consistent with adaptive management; measuring and celebrating successes; quantifying benefits; building capacity; and developing the next generation of sustainability practitioners and entrepreneurs.