Guiding Collaborative Water Resource Management within the Obtawaing Biosphere Region
Centrally located within the Laurentian Great Lakes, the newly reimagined Obtawaing Biosphere Region (OBR) is a geographic area recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The expanse covers the northern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula of...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | , |
| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/176183 https://doi.org/10.7302/7122 |
| Summary: | Centrally located within the Laurentian Great Lakes, the newly reimagined Obtawaing Biosphere Region (OBR) is a geographic area recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The expanse covers the northern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and seeks to promote the interconnectedness between local communities, culture, and the environment through regional partnerships. The term “Obtawaing” comes from the Anishinaabe term for “at the halfway place,” and signifies the historical and ongoing role of Native American and First Nation peoples’ management and governance in the region. In 2022, the new OBR coalition came together to form a strategic planning framework which provides a living document of the coalition’s mission and goals. However, implementing cohesive management strategies requires additional attention to the region’s historical landscape focus and stressors. In 1979, UNESCO designated the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) properties for the core protected land and waters as a biosphere reserve. As this area transitioned from one core biosphere reserve to a broadened biosphere region, it expanded to include a range of diverse partners, communities, and ecosystems. The OBR now encompasses a heterogeneous landscape that consists of an elaborate mosaic of ecological, hydrological, and societal factors. Northern Michigan has varied physiography and complex hydrology, which support a wide array of ecosystems and human societies. Due to the landscape heterogeneity and the social complexity characteristic of this region, emphasizing cohesive regional identities, creating a culture of collaboration, and realizing collective management efforts have been a major challenge. With increasing regional stressors of changing climate and increasing development, the OBR is making concerted efforts to highlight and unify around the region’s hydrologic resources. Since water flows across societal boundaries and through diverse landscapes, ... |
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