presented by: steve litke, fraser basin council winnipeg, manitoba june 18, 2012 collaborative...
TRANSCRIPT
Presented by: Steve Litke,
Fraser Basin Council
Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 18, 2012
Collaborative Approaches to Watershed Governance
– Lessons from BC
Fraser Basin Council
• A non-profit, NGO to advance sustainability in BC with a focus on the Fraser Basin
• Primary roles include educator and impartial convenor and facilitator
• Guided by a collaborative Board representing:
• Federal, Provincial, Local and First Nations governments
• Private sector• Civil society
38-member Board:• Federal Government (3)• Provincial Government (3)• Local Government (8)• First Nations (8)• Regional Civil Society Representatives (10)• Basin-Wide Civil Society Representatives (4)• Youth (1)• Financial (1)
Board Structure
The Fraser Basin Council Vision
Social well-being, supported by a vibranteconomy and sustained by ahealthy environment
What is Watershed Governance?
• Who makes decisions about water, land and watersheds?
• How are those decisions made? • The full spectrum of policies, institutional
arrangements, planning and implementation
Why Watershed Governance?
To effectively manage human uses of, and impacts on, water and watersheds, including:
• Managing the use and allocation of water
• Resolving conflicts among diverse interests and
• Mitigating pressures on water from diverse sources
Watershed Governance– Who plays what roles?
• It depends on the planning, policy or decision making process
• It depends on the nature, scope and scale of the issue(s)
– Water, wastewater, land or watershed?
– Surface or groundwater?
– Water quality or quantity or both?
– Local or regional?
– Private or Crown Lands?
Water Governance in British Columbia – A complex web with distributed roles & responsibilities
Re-Thinking Watershed Governance• Government is critical to governance, and governance is
broader than government– Engage both government and nongovernment people and
organizations• Both formal (decision-making authority) and informal (advisory)
– Legislative (regulatory) and persuasive (influence)• Achieve long-term sustainability of watershed resources
– Integrate natural ecosystem processes within decision-making
Why is Collaborative Watershed Governance Important?
• Watershed features and functions are interconnected
• Watershed jurisdictions are complex and distributed
• Watershed uses, pressures and conflicts are intensifying
• Community-based initiatives can be a potent source of leadership, inspiration, and mobilization
• There can be limits to grassroots leadership without formal jurisdiction, authority and capacity
Collaborative Watershed Governance – Getting Started
• Collaborative governance needs to be inclusive of diverse interests and representation
• Involve key interests early with a commitment to establish and maintain beneficial partnerships
• Seek “buy-in” from business, community groups and the public– All parties willing to come together in good faith– There is significant influence in broad-based consensus
• Engage those who have decision making authority and/or influence• First Nations leadership roles in water governance
Collaborative Watershed Governance – Getting Started
• Involve local leaders and champions• Establish terms of reference with clear roles,
responsibilities, rules of engagement, guiding principles, etc. • Define a clear vision, mission and goals• Manage expectations
Collaborative Watershed Governance – Guiding Principles
• “Egos parked at the door”• Hard positions replaced by informed perspectives• Respect for existing rights and obligations• Dialogue in place of debate• Collaboration rather than competition• Informed decision making (science and local and
traditional knowledge)
Collaborative Watershed Governance – Success Takes Time
• Spend time to design good process before attempting to address substantive issues (especially if conflict)
• “Go slow to go long”• Effective collaborative processes require time, commitment,
patience and persistence (but this pays off in the long run)
Collaborative Watershed Governance – Other Success Factors
• Importance of developing a common understanding through sharing knowledge, perspectives and values
• Importance of relationships and trust among individuals and organizations
• Importance of public support and political will• Commitment to find common ground and sustainable
solutions• Commitment to delivering on outcomes and decisions• Adequate and sustained financial and human resources
Overcoming Challenges
• Impartial facilitator, especially in conflict• Create a safe place and/or process to address difficult issues and
conflicts• Use side tables to work out conflicts and develop details
necessary to support decisions at primary table• Continually improve the network of “actors” • Take a long-term perspective (especially to get beyond narrow,
short-term interests)• Adapt and improve through monitoring, evaluation and
performance measures
Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord
• Ecological, social, cultural and economic considerations are integral parts of decision making.
• Best practices are to be employed to contribute to watershed sustainability in new and existing obligations, jurisdictions and plans.
• Effective collaborative watershed governance is to be carried out in a transparent, accountable and inclusive manner.
• Effective working relationships are to be developed and maintained through open communication, trust and cooperation.
Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord
• Decisions are to be based on the best available scientific information and First Nations traditional ecological knowledge, and with the goal of achieving watershed sustainability.
• Authorizations to use water are to take into account the interests of present and future generations.
• Effective watershed management is to be integrated with land-based resource objectives and activities on a watershed scale.
• Watershed governance is to include shared responsibilities and enable those affected to have input to decision-making processes.
