Integrated Management for Canadian Estuaries: Boundaries, Conflicts, and Opportunities

Courtney Campbell and Chani Joseph

Presentation: March 26th 2008

In taking an integrated approach to water resource management a significant challenge is determining boundaries of the management area. Boundaries are a necessary practicality for governance, legislative, and socio-economic purposes, but may at the same time be in conflict with the aims of holistic thinking and integration. A major natural boundary for water systems is that between the terrestrial and the marine environment, or salt and fresh water. This presentation will explore issues to do with managing for estuaries and the coastal environment with reference to the issue of boundaries.  

The first part of the class will develop the necessary background to engage in a discussion of the issues of boundaries in IWRM as they relate to estuaries and the coastal environment. Questions explored in the second half will include: How may the principles and practices of IWRM benefit the management of estuarine systems, particularly in Canada? What are the trade-offs involved, and what barriers and opportunities exist?  What role might Adaptive Management play in this context?

Readings:

1. What is an estuary?  How do estuaries contribute to the resilience of the coastal environment?

• Definition of estuary from Wikipedia  
• Valuing wetlands (including estuaries) in economic terms - please look specifically at the example of the Dutch Wadden Sea (p.13)

2. How do land-based activities influence the integrity/health of estuaries?

• From Canada’s National Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment
• An Overview of North American west coast estuaries by Emmett et al. - please read the summary (p. 22 in your Acrobat browser/p. 786 of the article) and simply skim the rest

3. What is Integrated Oceans Management?

• DFO website on Integrated Oceans Management (IOM)
• Central Coast pilot project of IOM
• Alert Bay Workshop on Central Coast IOM – from the Summary Report please read “Table 1: Ten Key Lessons Learned” (p. 4 in your browser/p. 2 of the document) and “History of Coastal Planning: Canada, BC and the Central Coast Region” (pages 6-8 in your browser) and “Theme/Lesson #4: Determine the Appropriate Scale” (pages 18-21 in your browser), as well as Catherine Rigg’s Workshop Introduction

4. How are estuaries managed now, and what are the challenges to integrated management?

• Policy and Operational Framework for Integrated Management of Estuarine, Coastal and Marine Environments in Canada - please glance at the different components and read the Executive Summary
• Fraser River Estuary Management Program case study - please read this brief Overview and have a look at their most recent Management Plan along with their list of Publications to get a feel for the issues FREMP deals with
• Musquash Estuary (New Brunswick) case study - DFO Backgrounder
• Finally, a little IWRM refresher dealing with the coastal context, from the Global Water Partnership Toolbox