Combined science is the most fruitful area of research today. No wonder, after 500 years of specialisation, since the omniscient renaissance man, or let us be generous and start after the encyclopedists and Voltaire, 250 years ago. Then the ambition was to know everything about everything, perhaps not an altogether impossible task, considering the existing knowledge at the time. Later omniscience has not only become more and more difficult to achieve, but our ambitions have also shrunk. We have discovered that life goes on even if you don't know everything under-and now increasingly also above-the sun. We have gone so far in specialisation that it is difficult to find common ground for normal discourse and conversation, except in the company of our colleagues who have been trained and brainwashed in the same way as we have. In fact, seen from just about any angle we have gone too far.
So this little, but important symposium is our small contribution to combined science. It is a practical and not a philosophical discussion we open today. However, I shall take this opportunity to remind you why we engage in multidisciplinary work. It is for at least two good reasons: one is the focus on applications that has always prevailed both in IAHR and in the sponsoring institutions, The Norwegian Institute of Technology and its twin, SINTEF, as well as in the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The other reason is the growing awareness of ecological principles and their usefulness not only in biology, but also in human societies and in industry. If we were to issue a statement to explain why we are doing what we are doing, it would amount to the kind of 'Declaration of Interdependence' recommended in a recent book with the trendy title 'The Ecology of Commerce'. It doesn't take great visionary powers to see that combined basic science will flourish, and combined applied science even more so. Within the water field this will result in a better understanding of the water environment and better technologies to deal with restoration, preservation and creation of water habitats. An important fringe benefit of such a development is that our work becomes more fascinating and rewarding as we increase our awareness and understanding. We cannot hope to become omniscient as the renaissance man, but perhaps we shall get away from the narrow-minded, boring and ignorant specialist who is such an easy prey for the media. If he is also a threat to the environment, as the holistic activists claim, we can accomplish a lot. My hope is that this not very structured event will whet your curiosity and inspire you to raise your head and look across the mental fence surrounding each science sector. This could easily have several dramatic effects: it may change the course of your career, give your life more meaning and yourself a wider interface with other human beings.
There is also an alternative interpretation: if instead of the 'declaration of interdependence' you announce as your fundamental creed a 'Declaration of species rights', you have another interesting argument. For the practical end result it doesn't matter whether you argue for human or animal rights. Habitat hydraulics is preserving or restoring the natural environment. When the interests of all species are taken care of, interspecies justice prevails. So whichever belief or conviction you hold, whether you consider yourself a deep ecologist, just a plain ecologist, or simply one who cares for nature, habitat hydraulics cannot get you into trouble. But the technology of habitat design, like any technology, can be unfair and biased. For instance, while the leisure industry with its associated leisure hydraulics of boating, canoeing and rafting has many negative impacts on other species than humans, any positive impacts are likely to be accidental.
One of the most serious obstacles to combined science is the lack of a common scientific language. I am not referring to normal verbal communication at meetings like this one, where we are doing fine with our basic broken English. The language we are missing, is an interdisciplinary way of expressing thoughts, theories