Moderator: Inga Smith-Bailey, RPF, Planning Forester, BC Timber Sales, Government of British Columbia

Two different but complimentary approaches to the management of water and water-related risk will be presented. By looking at different perspectives of managing watersheds we can derive multiple benefits. In a time of climate change, prolonged drought and increasing wildfire occurrence we are in a critical state of adapting accordingly to manage water.

The first presentation provides an overview of a western approach required under the Professional Governance Act and described in EGBC – ABCFP guidelines. We’ll review the state of watershed assessment and watershed risk management in BC since the introduction of the Forest Practices Code. The requirement for a Watershed Risk Management Framework will be described along with possible methods, examples, and the current state of implementation. Risk analysis and risk evaluation methods will be discussed.

The second presentation is a more holistic view using Blue Ecology Theory, which interweaves science with Indigenous wisdom and sensing the spirit in nature.
 

Learning Outcomes:

Following the presentations, attendees will have learned the following:

1. Increased awareness around the requirement for watershed risk management frameworks, how they’re built, and what the outcomes should be.
2. How watershed and hydrologic assessment methods can be used for input to a risk management framework.
3. How Indigenous perspectives can be used to better understand elements at risk and their vulnerability to water and water-related hazards.
4. Open eyes to an Indigenous definition of water, then follow that thread to rethinking concepts, like an ecosystem, cumulative effects, and land use planning.
5. Learn about a collaborative process called interweaving, to engage Indigenous Nations in forest planning and implementation.
6. Learn practical concepts like the sponge effect, cumulative healing, and biocultural diversity zonation.