Bilateral Water Management Agreements in the Mackenzie River Basin: An example of a cross-border policy framework.
Presentation Abstract
The Mackenzie River Basin is the largest river basin in Canada covering 1.8 million square kilometres. In 1997, the governments of Canada, British Columbia (BC), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories (NWT) and Yukon signed the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement. This Agreement outlines how the parties will cooperatively manage the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. The Agreement establishes common principles for the cooperative management of the waters of the Mackenzie River Basin, and sets out provisions for the development of bilateral water management agreements (BWMAs) for each the major sub-basins. To date, BWMAs have been completed between Yukon and NWT, BC and NWT and Alberta and NWT. In signing the BWMAs, the parties are committing to manage surface water and groundwater quality and quantity in a manner that maintains aquatic ecosystem health, while protecting the rights of jurisdictions to manage the use of their water resources. The BWMAs also provide an effective framework to share information on activities in each jurisdiction that may affect aquatic ecosystems. This new framework involves stakeholders and indigenous populations, looks at potential cumulative effects and helps resolve issues in a cooperative manner. A risk informed management (RIM) approach is the foundation of the BWMAs. The RIM guides the identification and implementation of management actions and is informed by an understanding of the risks to and uses of a transboundary water body. The BWMAs will be used to guide collaborative and individual actions, and focus on the management of the aquatic ecosystem across boundaries as a core principle. This framework provides examples that can help to inform and guide the development of a policy framework for the Salish Sea.
Session Title
Governance of the Salish Sea: Can we develop a cross-border policy framework?
Conference Track
Policy and Management
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Water resources development--Northwest Territories--Mackenzie River Watershed; Watershed management--Northwest Territories--Mackenzie River Watershed; Water-supply--Canada--Management
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Mackenzie River Watershed (N.W.T.)--Environmental conditions
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Bilateral Water Management Agreements in the Mackenzie River Basin: An example of a cross-border policy framework.
2016SSEC
The Mackenzie River Basin is the largest river basin in Canada covering 1.8 million square kilometres. In 1997, the governments of Canada, British Columbia (BC), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories (NWT) and Yukon signed the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement. This Agreement outlines how the parties will cooperatively manage the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. The Agreement establishes common principles for the cooperative management of the waters of the Mackenzie River Basin, and sets out provisions for the development of bilateral water management agreements (BWMAs) for each the major sub-basins. To date, BWMAs have been completed between Yukon and NWT, BC and NWT and Alberta and NWT. In signing the BWMAs, the parties are committing to manage surface water and groundwater quality and quantity in a manner that maintains aquatic ecosystem health, while protecting the rights of jurisdictions to manage the use of their water resources. The BWMAs also provide an effective framework to share information on activities in each jurisdiction that may affect aquatic ecosystems. This new framework involves stakeholders and indigenous populations, looks at potential cumulative effects and helps resolve issues in a cooperative manner. A risk informed management (RIM) approach is the foundation of the BWMAs. The RIM guides the identification and implementation of management actions and is informed by an understanding of the risks to and uses of a transboundary water body. The BWMAs will be used to guide collaborative and individual actions, and focus on the management of the aquatic ecosystem across boundaries as a core principle. This framework provides examples that can help to inform and guide the development of a policy framework for the Salish Sea.
