Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of \u3ci\u3eCrabro Cribrellifer\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

In Michigan, Crabro cribrellifer tends to show nest clumping within a nest aggregation. Its nesting behavior is similar to that of other Crabro, and it preys on Neoitamus flavofemoratus (Diptera: Asilidae) on warm days in July. Miltogrammine flies Metopia campestris are active at the nesting site

Commentary on the U.N. International Law Commission\u27s Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers

Ground water is the most extracted natural resource in the world. It provides more than half of humanity\u27s freshwater for everyday uses such as drinking, cooking, and hygiene, as well as twenty percent of irrigated agriculture. Despite our increasing reliance, ground water resources have long been the neglected stepchild of international water law; regulation and management of and information about ground water resources are sorely lacking, especially in the international context. Presently, there is no international agreement squarely addressing ground water resources that traverse an international boundary. Moreover, there is only one treaty in the entire world pertaining to the management of a transboundary aquifer, and few nations possess the relevant technical information necessary to enter into such agreements. The result is overexploitation and degradation of many of the world\u27s transboundary aquifers, and considerable harmful impacts on border communities, economies, and ecosystems dependent on transboundary ground water resources. Recently, the United Nations International Law Commission embarked on an effort to address this shortcoming and to consider the international law applicable to transboundary aquifers. This undertaking follows and builds on the Commission\u27s prior work on international watercourses, which culminated in the 1997 U.N. Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. It also builds on the work of other organizations, including that of the International Law Association and its Helsinki, Seoul, and Berlin Rules. This paper reviews the work of the Commission in its current effort to codify and progressively develop the international law applicable to transboundary ground water resources. It critically assesses the nineteen Draft Articles formulated by the Commission and considers the various legal, scientific, social, and related implications of those articles. Moreover, it assesses the applicability and soundness of the Draft Articles in relation to the science of ground water resources. Ultimately, the challenge before the Commission is to formulate international legal principles and doctrines that will allow States to overcome the unique problems associated with the utilization, management, allocation, and protection of the world\u27s transboundary aquifers. The goal of this study is to generate discussion on this critically important topic and to spur additional commentaries that may aid the Commission in its effort

Rethinking Transboundary Ground Water Resources Management: A Local Approach along the Mexico-U.S. Border

Despite more than forty years of promises to the contrary, neither Mexico nor the United States have shown any inclination to pursue a border-wide pact to coordinate management of the border region’s transboundary ground water resources. As a result, these critical resources – which serve as the sole or primary source of fresh water for most border communities on both sides – are being overexploited and polluted, leaving the local population with little recourse. Imminently unsustainable, the situation portends a grim future for the region. In the absence of national governmental interests and involvement on either side of the frontier, this article advocates an alternative approach, one that sidesteps the respective federal authorities. It proposes that subnational entities at the regional and local level pursue cooperation in the form of locally-specific, cross-border arrangements. These may take the form of informal memorandum of understanding, or more structured contracts for goods or services. Under the unique circumstances of the Mexico-U.S. border, such arrangements are likely more achievable and apt to create viable cross-border pacts that would be respected by the local communities. Moreover, they are more likely to achieve a sustainable and water-secure future for the border, its communities, and the natural environment

Buried Treasure or Buried Hope? The Status of Mexico-U.S. Transboundary Aquifers under International Law

Transboundary aquifers found along the 2,000 mile-long border between Mexico and the United States are not governed by any treaty. Yet, these aquifers are the primary source of water for many of the twelve million people who live in this parched region. The region’s groundwater, however, is being over-exploited and contaminated, which is threatening the very life that it currently sustains. As populations continue to expand and current rates of haphazard development persist, the absence of an agreement for the management and allocation of this critical resource could lead to bi-national economic, social and environmental tragedies. This study reviews groundwater resources along the Mexico-United States border and considers the obstacles to the development of an international agreement. It also looks at existing sources of law at the local, regional, national, and international levels of governance. The article offers recommendations that may lead to an amicable arrangement between the two nations

Protecting A Hidden Treasure: The U.N International Law Commission and the International Law of Transboundary Ground Water Resources

Ground water is the most extracted natural resource in the world. It provides more than half of humanity\u27s freshwater for everyday uses such as drinking, cooking, and hygiene, as well as twenty percent of irrigated agriculture. Given the world\u27s considerable reliance on this precious resource, it is reasonable to assume that international attention to, and especially legal consideration of, ground water would be substantial. Nothing is further from the truth. Despite the growing dependence, legal and regulatory attention to ground water resources have long been secondary to surface water, especially among legislatures and policymakers and above all in the international arena. Today, while there are hundreds of treaties governing transboundary rivers and lakes, there is only one international agreement that directly addresses a transboundary aquifer. Recently, the United Nations International Law Commission embarked on an effort to address this shortcoming and to consider the international law applicable to transboundary ground water resources. This undertaking follows and builds on the Commission\u27s work on international watercourses, which culminated in 1997 in the U.N. Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. This paper reviews the work of the Commission in its present effort to codify and progressively develop the international law applicable to transboundary ground water resources. It begins with a short background of the present work and briefly considers the applicability of the 1997 Watercourse Convention to transboundary ground water resources. It then reviews the relevant issues facing the Commission and offers commentary and analysis as appropriate

Buried Treasure or Buried Hope? The Status of Mexico-U.S. Transboundary Aquifers under International Law

Transboundary aquifers found along the 2,000 mile-long border between Mexico and the United States are not governed by any treaty. Yet, these aquifers are the primary source of water for many of the twelve million people who live in this parched region. The region’s groundwater, however, is being over-exploited and contaminated, which is threatening the very life that it currently sustains. As populations continue to expand and current rates of haphazard development persist, the absence of an agreement for the management and allocation of this critical resource could lead to bi-national economic, social and environmental tragedies. This study reviews groundwater resources along the Mexico-United States border and considers the obstacles to the development of an international agreement. It also looks at existing sources of law at the local, regional, national, and international levels of governance. The article offers recommendations that may lead to an amicable arrangement between the two nations

Rethinking Transboundary Ground Water Resources Management: A Local Approach along the Mexico-U.S. Border

Despite more than forty years of promises to the contrary, neither Mexico nor the United States have shown any inclination to pursue a border-wide pact to coordinate management of the border region’s transboundary ground water resources. As a result, these critical resources – which serve as the sole or primary source of fresh water for most border communities on both sides – are being overexploited and polluted, leaving the local population with little recourse. Imminently unsustainable, the situation portends a grim future for the region. In the absence of national governmental interests and involvement on either side of the frontier, this article advocates an alternative approach, one that sidesteps the respective federal authorities. It proposes that subnational entities at the regional and local level pursue cooperation in the form of locally-specific, cross-border arrangements. These may take the form of informal memorandum of understanding, or more structured contracts for goods or services. Under the unique circumstances of the Mexico-U.S. border, such arrangements are likely more achievable and apt to create viable cross-border pacts that would be respected by the local communities. Moreover, they are more likely to achieve a sustainable and water-secure future for the border, its communities, and the natural environment

Examples of the Political Character of International Water Law

It is widely known that over a billion people lack access to potable water, and well over twice that number are without adequate sanitation\u27-the latter situation often being related to the former. It has been calculated that every eight seconds a child dies of water-related causes-a stunning statistic and an absolutely unacceptable state of affairs. While much has been made of the prospect of global water shortages, what is perhaps not so well known is that most of the world\u27s fresh water is shared by two or more states. There are more than 260 international drainage basins, which account for about 60 percent of global river flows. This figure does not include an increasingly important form of this resource, groundwater, much of which also straddles international boundaries. Perhaps this is in part what motivated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to say, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January of this year: As the global economy grows, so will its thirst... many more conflicts lie over the horizon, and too often, where we need water, we find guns. The question for this panel is: To what extent do political considerations affect the legal relations among states sharing freshwater resources ? In many ways this is a field that almost invites the intervention of politics: partly because individuals-the Egyptian, Ethiopian or Mexican farmer, for example-may be directly affected by their government\u27s practice regarding shared water resources; and partly because water may be so vital to the very life of a nation that it can be regarded as a matter of national security and thus influence strongly the way that country relates to its neighbors