Ecological approach as part of greater environmental awareness

Chapter 7 shows that the emergence of the Ecological approach to rivers is a part of the broader process of greater recognition of the importance of protection of environment, in general. The huge increase in population and production following the Industrial Revolution led to breaches in planetary boundaries, putting the earth and human civilization in a jeopardy. Since the 1970s there has been growing recognition of this mortal danger, and various initiatives were begun along different directions to confront this danger, many focused on protection of rivers and waterbodies. Among these are the Ramsar Convention of 1971, UN Convention on International Rivers of 1997, and formation and report of the World Commission on Dams in 2000. The rise of the Ecological approach to rivers is a continuation of this process.