1. Thinking Like a Watershed - Ecological governance concepts, trends and applications A presentation by Oliver M. Brandes, Associate Director POLIS Project on Ecological Governance University of Victoria

2. The challenge ahead In a healthy society, economy always follows ecology, and education precedes them both Ken Carey Starseed The Third Millennium, Living in the Posthistoric World Harper, San Francisco,1991

3. Presentation overview Ecological governance Key water governance trends Thinking like a watershed and some thoughts on t he path forward

4. Ecological governance What it is NOT! One size fits all –instead it must evolve in place Neat and tidy models –instead it is messy and complex Applicable to individual sectors or industries –instead it is about whole system change eg must address markets, education, law and policy, governments, planning and management, and whole cities and communities)

5. Ecological governance Embeds environment in all levels of decision making Environment not an ‘add on’ but central Asks how we might foster circular systems – reducing demand on distant and local ecosystems With the fundamental question: What does governance shaped by the principles of ecological sustainability look like?

6. Ecological governance - Foundations Economy is a subset of the ecosystem Biophysical limits (including water) exist Emphasize circular systems –no such thing as waste - simply an input for other processes Take uncertainty and complexity seriously by managing adaptively Cultivate feedback loops through decentralized power and institutions Develop social resilience and ensure ecological resilience Reconnect humans (and communities) to the natural world

7. Key water governance trends Climate change represents a CLEAR AND PRESENT LONG TERM DANGER (and opportunity) –More than just the issue of the day, week, month? Carbon reduction is all about Mitigation Water (and watersheds) is where we will feel the impacts Water is all about Adaptation –changing climate will directly impact watershed and ecological function and therefore influences community prosperity

8. Key water governance trends Government to Governance Governance is more than just government -- includes other critical actors such as associations, universities, civil society and business –drivers of innovation and change Governance, alone, cannot correct poor management –yet poor governance often leads to ineffective management and unsustainable—social, economic and ecological—outcomes

9. Key water governance trends Watersheds, catchments and basins Water and watersheds are the integrators of the landscape and the source of key ecological goods and services – drinking water, flood control, biodiversity and food and resource production Watersheds have long been recognized as the appropriate scale for management (Dublin Principles) and are increasingly recognized as the key “scale” for governance … YET … no current governance model integrates management of the terrestrial resources with water-based management or atmospheric carbon as a coherent ecological system.

10. Key water governance trends New conception of infrastructure

11. Foundation of Research At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada (May 2005)

12. Primary conclusions Watershed Sustainability is a social—NOT a technical—challenge Maintaining ecosystem health and function as the priority Water conservation and changing behaviour must be the foundation to water management Innovation, adaptive management and whole system thinking is critical Local solutions must be allowed to develop in place - - requiring senior government to move from top down managers to facilitators of local action Watersheds must be managed and governed as whole units with attention to linkages across sectors REQUIRES…attention to governance

13. Where do we go from here? Some suggestions on the path forward to developing water sustainability in Canada

14. Guiding principles for reform A Conservation Ethic –create H2O IQ and dispel the “myth of abundance” –leave more water in the system to enhance ecological resilience A Citizen-Centered Vision –maintain community prosperity by linking the economy and ecology through water –entrench water as a ‘public trust’ legally and institutionally Thinking Like a Watershed –complexity and uncertainty requires adaptive integrated thinking –Healthy functioning watersheds must be the foundation of our resource decision-making

15. Basic Roles and Responsibilities Federal Government Engage (and enforce) on Constitutional responsibilities - - fisheries, navigation,First Nations, infrastructure, national issues,international engagement, trade and export Good Science and data -- climate change, hydro-ecology, adaptation, water use Support institutions and processes that “think like a watershed” through resources and best practices and information exchange Provinces Manage adaptively -- Ecosystem based allocations and integrated land-water use in the face of a changing climate Source Protection and Conservation -- as priority water “infrastructure” Address cumulative impacts -- by enabling “good governance” at the watershed scale and whole system thinking