Ecosystems - Public Policy Institute of California

Ecosystems

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Dramatic changes in water and land use across the state have transformed California’s freshwater landscape and put many fish, bird, and other species at risk.

Selected publications

photo - Subsidence Repair on Aqueduct in Kern County, California - Pixel CA DWR AI_Subsidence_0000_03_09_0243

Paying for California’s Water System May 2021
Most funding for California’s water system comes from local water bills and taxes. But when drought and recession hit, revenues decline.

photo - Eagle Falls and view of Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, California

Priorities for California’s Water November 2020
This brief reviews how major disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, ongoing drought, and wildfires affected the state’s water landscape, and lays out priorities for local, state, and federal action.

photo - Nordheimer Creek and Salmon River Confluence in Northern California

Making the Most of Water for the Environment: A Functional Flows Approach for California’s Rivers August 2020
This report assesses how a “functional flows” approach for managing environmental water in California’s rivers would be implemented to improve ecosystem health and protect native fish.

MORE PUBLICATIONS

Ecosystems February 2019

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Roughly 95% of the Central Valley’s wetlands have been lost

Central Valley rice fields now provide wildlife habitat in place of native wetlands.