Harris Brake greentree reservoir ready to hold water this duck season – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Project Overview and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has finalized a significant infrastructure project at the Harris Brake Wildlife Management Area in Perry County, focusing on the repair and enhancement of a water-control structure for a lower greentree reservoir (GTR). This initiative directly supports the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by restoring a critical ecosystem, enhancing biodiversity, and ensuring sustainable water management.

Infrastructure Upgrade for Ecosystem Restoration and Resilience

Background and System Failure

The Harris Brake WMA contains two greentree reservoirs, totaling 749 acres, which constitute a vital flooded hardwood habitat for migratory waterfowl. A 2018 statewide review of GTR infrastructure identified the original water-control structures as requiring upgrades. The system’s condition deteriorated until 2022, when a 42-inch corrugated pipe rusted and failed, rendering the 458-acre lower GTR inoperable for two consecutive winter seasons. This failure represented a significant setback in the sustainable management of this land-based ecosystem.

Implementation of Advanced Water Management System

The recent project involved the complete replacement of the compromised 100-foot pipe and the installation of a modern flashboard riser water-control system. This new system is technologically superior to the previous screw gate, offering enhanced operational flexibility. According to AGFC officials, the riser system allows for precise manipulation of water levels and flow rates. A key advancement is the ability to permit backflow from the Fourche La Fave River into the GTR during high-water events, improving water distribution and ecosystem resilience.

Contribution to Specific Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 15: Life on Land

The project makes a direct and substantial contribution to protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

• Halting Biodiversity Loss: By restoring the GTR, the AGFC has re-established a critical wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl, including wood ducks and mallards, directly addressing the goal of halting biodiversity loss.
• Restoring Degraded Ecosystems: The repair reverses the degradation of a unique bottomland hardwood forest, a key action in restoring terrestrial ecosystems and their services.
• Sustainable Forest Management: The project ensures the long-term viability and sustainable management of a significant forested wetland area under AGFC stewardship.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation & SDG 14: Life Below Water

The upgraded infrastructure is fundamental to the sustainable management of water resources and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.

• Integrated Water Resources Management: The new flashboard riser system enables more sophisticated and adaptable water management, aligning with SDG Target 6.5 to implement integrated water resources management at all levels.
• Protection of Water-Related Ecosystems: The primary function of the project is to protect and restore a vital wetland, directly supporting SDG Target 6.6.
• Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems: As a managed wetland, the GTR is a crucial aquatic ecosystem whose restoration contributes to the conservation goals outlined in SDG 14.

SDG 13: Climate Action

By restoring a significant wetland habitat, the project contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

1. Strengthening Resilience: The enhanced ability to manage water levels increases the ecosystem’s resilience to climate-related events such as droughts or floods.
2. Climate Change Mitigation: Healthy and functioning forested wetlands act as effective carbon sinks, and the restoration of this 458-acre area contributes to efforts to mitigate climate change.

Conclusion: A Step Towards Sustainable Ecosystem Management

The completion of the water-control structure at Harris Brake WMA is a critical achievement in conservation infrastructure. It represents a targeted investment that not only repairs a failing system but also significantly enhances the AGFC’s capacity for sustainable ecosystem management. The project’s outcomes are directly aligned with global sustainability frameworks, particularly SDGs 6, 13, 14, and 15, demonstrating a commitment to preserving biodiversity, restoring vital habitats, and ensuring the resilience of natural resources for the future.

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The issues discussed in the article, primarily the repair and upgrade of a water-control structure in a wildlife management area, are directly and indirectly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals. These goals focus on environmental protection, biodiversity, and the sustainable management of natural resources.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is the most prominent SDG addressed. The article’s core subject is the restoration of a terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystem—a greentree reservoir (GTR). The project’s explicit purpose is to maintain “flooded hardwood habitat” and “flooded bottomland hardwood habitat acres” for wildlife, which directly aligns with the goal of protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The project focuses on water management infrastructure (“water-control structure,” “flashboard riser water-control system”) to restore a wetland. This connects to SDG 6, particularly its emphasis on protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems. The article details how the new system allows for better manipulation of “flow and water levels,” which is crucial for the health of the wetland ecosystem.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  While not explicitly mentioned, the restoration of wetlands like the GTRs at Harris Brake WMA contributes to climate action. Healthy wetlands and forests are vital carbon sinks and play a role in climate regulation and resilience. The article notes the new structure is “much more adaptable to various water conditions,” which can be seen as an effort to build resilience in natural systems against climate-related variability, such as changes in river levels.

2. Specific SDG Targets

Based on the article’s content, several specific targets under the identified SDGs can be pinpointed:

1. Target 15.1: Conserve and restore terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

   The entire project is an example of this target in action. The article states the AGFC completed an “extensive repair and upgrade” to restore the functionality of the “lower greentree reservoir,” which had been “inoperable during the next two winters.” This is a direct effort to restore a specific freshwater and forest ecosystem.

2. Target 15.5: Protect biodiversity and natural habitats

   The project’s goal is to reduce the degradation of a natural habitat. The old structure’s failure (“rusted through and blew out”) led to the habitat becoming inoperable. The repair restores this habitat, which is described as “valuable flooded hardwood habitat” specifically for migratory birds like “wood ducks and mallards,” thus contributing to the protection of biodiversity.

3. Target 6.6: Protect and restore water-related ecosystems

   This target is directly addressed through the restoration of the GTR, which is a managed wetland. The article describes the AGFC’s management of “tens of thousands of flooded bottomland hardwood habitat acres,” and this specific project restores a key part of that system, ensuring the health and function of this water-related ecosystem.

3. Mentioned or Implied Indicators

The article provides specific, quantifiable information that can serve as indicators to measure progress towards the identified targets.

• Indicator: Area of habitat restored

  The article provides precise figures that can be used to measure the extent of ecosystem restoration (relevant to Targets 15.1 and 6.6). It specifies that the repair makes the “lower GTR” operable, which offers “an additional 458 acres of flooded forests.” This is a direct quantitative indicator of the project’s impact.

• Indicator: Infrastructure improvements for ecosystem management

  Progress can be measured by the specific infrastructure upgrades completed. The article mentions the replacement of a “100-foot pipe” and the installation of a new “flashboard riser water-control system” that is “superior to the previous screw gate.” These details serve as indicators of investment and action towards better ecosystem management.

• Indicator: Species benefiting from habitat restoration

  The article implies an indicator for Target 15.5 by naming the specific wildlife that will benefit. It explicitly states the habitat is for “wood ducks and mallards making the migration south during winter.” The continued presence and health of these populations could be used as a long-term indicator of the project’s success.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: agfc.com