At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada

Journal of Environmental Law and Practice

Published On: November 1st, 2005

Author: Oliver M. Brandes

Abstract

Uncertainty of future supplies, constraints to economic growth, increasing conflicts between users and evidence of emerging ecological impacts are some of the many problems being addressed in the water sector. To solve these problems requires a shift from supply-side management toward a more holistic and sustainable approach to water management. Published in the Spring of 2005 by the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria, At a Watershed, grapples with the challenge of making the transition from a supply to a demand management regime, and offers possible solutions to some of the conflicts between past policies and emerging scarcity. The focus of this report, the fourth in a series, is to present feasible strategies and innovative opportunities for reforming Canada’s water management institutions toward a more holistic approach to sustainability based on the recognition that water is a limited and precious resource and must be conserved.

Suggested Citation 

Brandes, O.M. (2005, November). At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada. Journal of Environmental Law and Practice, 16(1), 79–97.

At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada