The Prairie Water Policy Symposium

September 2005 event brought together 100 water experts

Water connects societies with the ecosystems that sustain us in fundamental ways. We know this well on the Canadian Prairies. Our communities, our livelihoods and the prairie economy thrive or suffer with the vagaries of hydrology. We have encountered numerous droughts and floods in the past decades and continually grapple with ways to manage our water resources.

Should we manage our water resources as an ecosystem service that should be paid for? Will we be able to find bold and innovative ways to manage water, given the cumulative threats to water resources on the prairies?

IISD was honoured to host this Winnipeg gathering of 100 water policy experts at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers—a meeting place and the hub of a vital transportation network for 6,000 years. We felt a sense of community, collaboration and duty to future generations as we challenged ourselves and each other with these questions over two days in September 2005.

Following the discussions and recommendations of the Symposium, IISD began working on two projects: a water resources master plan for the Manitoba Department of Water Stewardship based on the concept of water soft paths[1]; and a study linking Integrated Water Resources Management and Payments for Ecosystem Services.

Symposium at a Glance

The Prairie Water Policy Symposium:

[1] The water soft paths approach involves envisioning a future state of water sustainability, and designing a feasible policy pathway to achieve that state, often characterized by wide use of diverse and often decentralized systems.