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Location: basin wide Project Summary
Overview In 2008 the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the Fraser Basin Council and the Georgia Basin/Vancouver Island Living Rivers Project with financial support from the Living Rivers Trust Fund launched the Collaborative Watershed Governance Initiative to establish a process for developing and implementing a framework for more collaborative governance in BC watersheds. Through collaborative governance, more integrated decisions, a better understanding of causes and effects in watersheds, and an improved exchange of views and information can be promoted. We all understand the importance of healthy watersheds. They are essential to the BC economy and give us a priceless spiritual and inspirational quality that enriches our lives. But there is a concern that watershed ecosystem values are being eroded in many places as a result of a governance system that cannot take account of the accumulated effects of multiple resource allocation decisions, frequently made independent of each other. This uncoordinated approach is resulting in the gradual loss of ecological function in watersheds, including costly flooding, declining water quality, loss of water for agriculture and other uses, and loss of economic activities. Based on these factors and coinciding with the release by the BC government of the Living Water Smart Plan, the timing seemed right to explore an improved collaborative approach to watershed governance. A workshop was organized in late November 2008 to discuss the collaborative watershed governance approach and the willingness of participants to engage further. The workshop reached a consensus calling for collective action to build a framework or accord for more collaborative processes in watershed management. There was agreement among participants to continue the dialogue and engagement. A workshop report was developed and can be viewed at the bottom of the Collaborative Watershed Governance Initiative webpage on the Living Rivers website (see: Collaborative Watershed Governance Workshop). Keynote speeches by John Woodward, Grand Chief Doug Kelly and The Honourable Iona Campagnolo as well as workshop presentations can also be viewed on the webpage.
A major next step is to convene a Leadership Group that would capitalize on this momentum and move the Initiative forward. The Leadership Group is to include representation from senior policy makers within the federal and provincial governments, local government decision makers including First Nations and relevant resource sectors as well as the land conservation trust sector. Key individuals within these sectors have been approached and the Leadership Group is currently being formed. Check the Living River’s website for updates on the progress of this exciting and important initiative. See also: http://www.livingrivers.ca/cwg.html
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