Integrated government

Jim Uphoff from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources spoke to our class on Friday, and one thing he mentioned was the shifted emphasis in his field from single species modeling to ecosystem modeling. He said that the structure of government would have to change to reflect that new perspective, as his agency regulates fishing but has no authority over habitat issues, which are of course hugely important for fisheries. In today's New York Times, there's an article by Thomas Friedman about how the government in Costa Rica has recognized this and has integrated its bureaucracy, just the way Uphoff said it should. The article also discusses the economic importance of environmental services- take a look!