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ILLNOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (IDNR)
ADDENDUM ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE (draft as of 5/27/10)
INTRODUCTION
The IDNR submitted comments on the IEPA’s initial draft of the Green Infrastructure Plan.
The intent of those comments was to recognize the limits the legislative language placed on the
IEPA effort and subsequently request the Agency allow the IDNR to present an expanded
application of green infrastructure via this addendum. Despite the IDNR advocating an
expanding application of green infrastructure, the IDNR recognizes the IEPA’s storm water
green infrastructure initiative as a commendable and critical first step.
The green infrastructure concept is a rapidly evolving field; hence, a thorough expanded
application is inherently difficult and could be quite voluminous, extending beyond an addendum
format. Within this addendum, the IDNR seeks to succinctly answer four basic but important
questions about the scope of green infrastructure. Those questions are addressed next.
I. Why does a broader definition of green infrastructure need to
be considered?
Green infrastructure, and the ecological services provided by green infrastructure, goes beyond
merely storm water benefits. This point is illustrated by Benedict’s & McMahon’s definition:
“Green infrastructure is defined as an interconnected network of green space
that conserves natural ecosystem values and functions and provides associated
benefits to human populations. In our view, green infrastructure is the
ecological framework needed for environmental, social and economic
sustainability—in short it is our nation’s natural life sustaining system. Green
infrastructure differs from conventional approaches to open space planning
because it looks at conservation values and actions in concert with land
development, growth management and built infrastructure planning.” (Green
Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century. Benedict, Mark and Edward
McMahon. Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse Monograph Series (2001))
Nature has always served society well and is the foundation for our
economic and social systems. Nature, through functions and services,
furnishes a multitude of essential primary goods; our foods, fuels,
materials for shelter, compounds to enhance our health and a sense of
perspective important for our well being. Typically, we have only
recognized these ecosystem services when the goods produced by these
systems are manifested or become familiar parts of the economy.
Arguably, decision making has either routinely ignored (unless when
significantly obviously disrupted) or significantly misunderstood the importance ‘of the whole’
of ecological services. Strong scientific evidence supports the conclusion that these ecological
services are essential to human civilization and humans are frequently disrupting and impairing
ecological services which function best as an interconnected network. (“Ecosystem Services: Benefits
Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems”Daily, Gretchen C., Susan Alexander, Paul R. Ehrlich, Larry
Goulder, Jane Lubchenco, Pamela A. Matson, Harold A. Mooney, Sandra Postel, Stephen H. Schneider, David
Tilman, George M. Woodwell. Issues in Ecology. Ecological Society of America. Washington, DC 20036)
