Brian Chaffin

DR. BRIAN CHAFFIN

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

“THE EMERGENCE OF ADAPTIVE GOVERNANCE: NEGOTIATING TRADEOFFS BETWEEN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE KLAMATH RIVER BASIN”

Dr. Brian Chaffin is an Assistant Professor of Water Policy at the University of Montana. Brian employs concepts of social-ecological resilience and complex systems to investigate intersections of water governance and environmental change in the American West and beyond. Specifically, Brian’s research explores the roles of law, human values, and voluntary collaboration in catalyzing transformations in water governance in regions that include a diversity of water uses (e.g., irrigation and hydropower) and a diversity of stakeholders (e.g. agriculture and Native American Tribes). Prior to joining the faculty at Montana, Brian was part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigating the use of green infrastructure to mitigate urban stormwater runoff via increasing infiltration while also reducing violations to the U.S. Clean Water Act. Brian holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Oregon State University, as well as a M.S. in Environmental Science and a B.S. in Conservation Social Sciences from the University of Idaho.

Watch the seminar presentation

January 14, 2016