Key Message
The management of natural resources is on the frontline of the struggle for more sustainable and equitable development.
Team
 | · Henry David Venema Vice-President, Science and Innovation | |
 | · Dimple Roy Manager, Natural and Social Capital | |
 | · Mark Anielski Associate | |
 | · Stephan Barg Associate | |
 | · Livia Bizikova Project Manager | |
 | · Robert B. Brennan Senior Fellow and Associate | |
| · David B. Brooks Associate | |
 | · Richard Grosshans Associate | |
 | · Peter Hardi Associate | |
| · Richard Lawford Associate | |
 | · Matthew McCandless Bioeconomy Team Leader | |
 | · Bryan Oborne Associate | |
 | · Jim Perry Associate | |
 | · László Pintér Senior Fellow and Associate | |
 | · Dan Rubenstein Associate | |
 | · Todd Scaletta Associate | |
| · Cory Searcy Associate | |
| · Kyle Swystun Project Officer | |
 | · Charles Thrift Project Manager | |
| · Bishunarine Tulsie Associate | |
 | · Stephen Tyler Associate | |
 | · Vivek Voora Project Manager | |
 | · Karla Zubrycki Project Officer | |
| · Jean Perras Associate | |
Archives
Natural Resources
Building resilient ecosystems
What's New in Natural Resources?
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The First Nations Carbon Collaborative (FNCC)
The First Nations Carbon Collaborative is a community-driven initiative spearheaded by IISD, the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources and three First Nations living within Canada's frontier forests. Undefined carbon rights and a lack of experience prevent First Nations from accessing carbon markets, even though many of them live within and around the boreal forest region, which stores 30 per cent of the world's carbon, according to 2007 research by Woods Hole Research Center.
The First Nations Carbon Collaborative—Indigenous Peoples and Carbon Markets: An annotated bibliography indicates there is little information about First Nations in Canada and carbon markets and that this void will need to be filled in order for First Nations to become active carbon market participants. The First Nations Carbon Collaborative—Indigenous Carbon Leadership: Voices from the field found that local ownership enhances potential carbon market benefits, well beyond job creation. The review highlights the need to establish realistic time frames, as capacity building can take considerable resources and time to deal with such issues as governance, transmitting local and traditional knowledge, operational training, youth development and succession planning.
The Sustainable Natural Resources Management (SNRM) program carries out policy research, provides advice and builds capacity for integrated, participatory and sustainable natural resources management. IISD's work in Sustainable Natural Resources Management recognizes that the litmus test of good policy—regardless of its origins (global, federal, provincial, municipal)—is if it promotes local resilience. IISD believes that adaptive management builds resilient ecosystems. "Adaptive management" views each management action as an opportunity to further learn how to adapt to changing circumstances—learning by judicious doing. IISD is committed to the research, dissemination and application of those policies, tools and techniques at all scales that build community-level resilience.
The SNRM program's current projects focus on Western Canadian water and agriculture. The Prairie Water Policy Symposium, held in 2005 in Winnipeg, convened 100 water experts to discuss IISD's research on cumulative stresses on prairie water and the capacity to manage adaptively. IISD is now pursuing policy research on the conjunction of Integrated Water Resources Management and Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Canadian Prairie context.
Application of the tools and methodologies being developed by the SNRM program extend well beyond the Canadian Prairies. SNRM's international work also emphasizes building community-scale resilience to environmental stressors such as climate change and natural hazards. The uniquely tragic events of the 2004 Asian tsunami spurred members of IISD's SNRM team to undertake Natural Disasters and Resource Rights: Building Resilience, Rebuilding Lives, a project funded by IISD's Innovation Fund. The project examined the role of resource rights (such as ownership of land, and access to sea and forest products) in community resilience to natural disasters and the effectiveness of post-disaster reconstruction.
IISD's work in the field of natural resources follows a tradition of non-partisan, multi-disciplinary research leading to practical policy advice, and cuts across the following areas.
Contents
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Water
Watersheds enable a place-based perspective for the effective management of water resources. integrated water resources management (IWRM) and the concept of ecological goods and services (EGS) are emerging as powerful policy concepts that frame modern water resources management. These two concepts form the basis of water-related research at IISD. -
Agriculture
The Canadian Prairies face multiple, ongoing crises including collapsed commodity prices, disastrous farm incomes and climate change. IISD's research is aimed at re-envisioning a sustainable system of prairie agriculture resilient to environmental and economic shocks and stresses. Current research uses the concepts of perennial and bio-dynamic cropping systems, ecological goods and services evaluation, and sustainable bio-energy production. -
Environment and Security
Since 1999, IISD has been examining how better environmental management can contribute to human security, including sustainable livelihoods; resilience to disasters; disease prevention; conflict avoidance/peace-building; and post-conflict reconstruction. Facilitated through partnerships with governments, NGOs and multilateral institutions, this work seeks to offer practical tools for addressing the links between environment and security.
Lake Winnipeg Basin Summit (2010)
On November 30th and December 1st, 2010, approximately 150 scientists, policy-makers, business leaders, civil society members and other stakeholders convened in Winnipeg for an intensive, two-day "Lake Winnipeg Basin Summit," with the goal to develop solutions for improved water quality that recognize environmental, social and economic values.
Presentations by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) staff and guest speakers informed lengthy facilitated discussions by attendees. Topics covered included the history of the basin, the current condition of the lake, case studies from around the world and an illustrative example of a potential "Watershed of the Future" for Manitoba.
Event outcomes included consensus on the need for partnership and collaboration, and a call for IISD to chair a stakeholder group tasked with producing a five-year action plan. Read More
Our Knowledge
» Themes
- Adaptation and Risk Reduction
- Climate Change and Energy
- Economics and SD
- Education, Learning and Leadership
- Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding
- Gender Equity
- Governance for Sustainable Development
- Internet and Technology
- International Trade
- Investment and Sustainable Development
- Measurement and Assessment
- Natural and Social Capital (NASCap)
- Natural Resources
- Networks & Partnerships
- Procurement & Public Private Partnerships
- Sustainable Finance
- Sustainable Markets
» Initiatives
- Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL)
- Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI)
- IISD Foresight Group
- Partnership for Procurement and Green Growth
- The Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI)
- Sustainability Leadership Innovation Centre (SLIC)
- Water Innovation Centre (WIC)
