Bilateral Water Management Agreements in the Mackenzie River Basin: An example of a cross-border policy framework.

• Main Authors: Davis, Celine, Kriwoken, Lynn
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2016
• Subjects: Fresh Water Studies; Life Sciences; Marine Biology; Natural Resources and Conservation; British Columbia; Canada; Mackenzie River; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2016ssec/policy_and_management/22

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.