Maritime Water Resources Symposium:
Watershed Health, Planning and Management

KEYNOTE 1:
Assessing, monitoring and setting targets: the work of the United Nations in freshwater

Gordon J Young
Former Co-ordinator, United Nations World Water Assessment Programme

Dr Young has served in several capacities in co-ordinating international hydrological activities. He has served as Vice-President, International Commission on Snow and Ice, 1991-95 and as Secretary General, International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 1995-2000. He chaired the International Water Associations Liaison Committee, 1996-2000. From 1984-1996 he served on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Sub-Commission on Natural Sciences, which he Chaired from 1994-1996. From 1988-90 he served as Chair, Inter-governmental Council, for the International Hydrological Programme, UNESCO. From 1991-1992 he was Co-ordinator of the International Conference on Water and the Environment, based in the World Meteorological Organisation, Geneva. From 2000 until 2006 he was Co-ordinator, United Nations World Water Assessment Programme the Secretariat of which is housed within the Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO, Paris. In 2007 he became Emeritus Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and was elected as the next President of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences.

We live in a world of inequality. There is a huge divide between the very rich and the very poor – and the poor are far too great in number. Our first aim must, therefore be to greatly alleviate – preferably to eliminate – poverty.

There are many threats to society affecting the basic human condition, social and economic development and human security. Each of these threats – linked to each other -can be regarded as an element of poverty and most of them are intimately related to the availability and usefulness of water.

Basic human health is directly related to the availability and quality of food and to the prevalence of disease. Clearly water is of fundamental importance. Its availability for food production and its adequacy in both quantity and quality for drinking, for sanitation and for hygiene underpin basic quality of life.

Social development includes the provision of education and health care. Without clean water supplies and good sanitation facilities in schools and hospitals social development is stymied. And for education – in schools without sanitation facilities – it is girls who suffer most and are therefore disadvantaged, introducing an important gender element into the equation.

Economic development – underpinned, of course, by basic human health and social development – is dependent on water supplies for energy production and for industrial expansion. Water is needed for many forms of energy production – hydro power and the water for cooling of thermal and nuclear power stations. And energy in turn is needed for pumping, including extraction of water from underground aquifers. Water is needed for many industries and those industries in turn have effect, through pollution and abstraction, on water quality that affects both downstream users and natural ecosystems.

Security from floods, droughts and spills of pollutants into our water systems is of growing importance. Not only does there seem to be an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and, with increasing industrialization, pollution spills, but, with increases in population, more people are living in zones prone to disasters.

All these elements are poverty-related, they are intertwined and they are all related to water.

The Natural Environment. Our concern must not stop at human considerations but must be extended to the natural environment. Natural ecosystems are of fundamental importance to human well being and development. Indeed humankind is an integral part of the natural systems. The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems mean loss of basic habitat for humans. We destroy or degrade these natural systems at our peril, and so social and economic development and basic human betterment must go hand in hand with preservation of the natural environment.

The Challenges of Governance. How we approach all of the challenges presented to us depends to a very great extent on the resilience and adaptability of the societies in which we live. The combination of challenges is different in different parts of the world and the ways in which societies organize their responses to crises differs greatly from country to country and from region to region. Attitudes of people towards each other and to the environments in which they live depend very greatly on the cultures, the religions and the ways in which the societies are organized. Thus the effectiveness of institutions, the types and effectiveness of legislation the financial instruments available and the ways in which different levels of government communicate with each other vary tremendously from place to place. Thus when we come to developing solutions to problems we must realise that those solutions must be tailor-made to fit the circumstance – no one size fits all.

These, then, are the issues that are examined within the World Water Development Report. The Report is comprehensive, balanced and authoritative and attempts to cover all freshwater issues of importance. It recognizes the very different situations between countries and tries, therefore, to give local examples whenever possible. It is a Report involving all UN agencies and also draws on the expertise of NGOs, the academic communities and the private sector and thus represents inputs from the widest possible variety of sources.

KEYNOTE 2:
National Context for Watershed Management

Sonya Meek
National President, Canadian Water Resources Association

Sonya Meek is the National President of the Canadian Water Resources Association. Previous to her election as President in June 2007, she participated on CWRA's National Board of Directors for ten years and served as the Ontario Branch President during 1999-2001. In her day job, Sonya is Manager of the Watershed Planning Group in the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's Ecology Division. Her group is completing integrated watershed plans for three major Toronto region watersheds, in partnership with key stakeholders. The plans will guide sustainable land use planning decisions in rapidly urbanizing communities and identify strategic priorities for regeneration of degraded systems. Sonya regularly draws from her experience in the elements of effective watershed management in considering approaches to broader water management issues.

There is a growing awareness among Canadians of the value of water and the crucial importance of sound water management. Current and emerging threats to the integrity and sustainability of our water are prevalent in many regions in Canada and are regularly reported on in the media. These threats include climate-related extremes of flood and drought, water allocation decisions, impacts of urban growth (particularly on ecological services of water), aging infrastructure and newly detected forms of pollution. A Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) review of the state of practice in Canadian water management found that while good policies, practices and governance structures have been established for specific issues or locations, there is concern that the overall lack of consistency will limit our ability to address these threats in a timely manner.

The need for a National Water Strategy is increasingly being recognized by CWRA and other groups across Canada, as a means of guiding consistent and coordinated approaches to water management. In addition, a National Water Strategy could help to ensure the availability of adequate capacity and knowledge base upon which to make sound decisions and track progress. Several groups, such as Pollution Probe, have begun to identify the core elements of a National Water Strategy.

CWRA in collaboration with others has recommended a procedure for the effective development and implementation of a National Water Strategy for Canada. The proposed approach is based on a review of previous experiences in developing water strategies and policies in several provinces and other international jurisdictions. Analogous to principles for successful watershed management at the local level, CWRA believes that the approach should involve participation of all stakeholders, foster endorsement of common goals and objectives while respecting regional diversity, contain specific implementation plans for priority actions and ensure a mechanism for regular review of progress.

A National Water Strategy would benefit water strategies and initiatives prepared at provincial, regional and watershed scales, such as those being considered by the Province of Nova Scotia, City of Halifax and others. Benefits of more efficient and effective water management would be anticipated due to clarified responsibilities, strengthened capacity and greater collaboration by the full context of stakeholders. Similarly, participation by Maritime based water resource stakeholders in the design of a National Water Strategy will be critical to its success.