THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Water Security Project 2008 – 2012


In 2008, the Canadian Water Network (CWN)* awarded the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Program on Water Governance (PoWG) a four-year grant to lead a team of researchers from five Canadian universities on a project to create tools designed to assist communities in improving water security.

Water security is an emerging concept. Our research team defines water security as sustainable access on a watershed basis to adequate quantities of water, of acceptable quality, for human and environmental uses. This definition sets baseline requirements for water resources management in a watershed on a continuous basis; there must be access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality of water for both humans and the environment. Another definition of water security is: "a multi-dimensional concept that recognizes that sufficient good quality water is needed for social, economic and cultural uses while, at the same time, adequate water is required to sustain and enhance important ecosystem functions" (de Loe et al 2007).

Interest in the concept is growing, as evidenced by the work of the World Economic Forum, which recently described water security as “the gossamer that links together the web of food, energy, climate, economic growth and human security challenges that the world economy faces over the next two decades” (World Economic Forum 2009:5).

The project, Developing a Canadian Water Security Framework as a Tool for Improved Governance for Watersheds, will create a Water Security Framework (WSF) that includes decision-support tools for water managers. The overriding objective of this research project is to create tools to support the improvement of water security in Canada, specifically through improving governance for source protection and land use.

The WSF will be user-friendly and use data already available to many communities. It will include at least five sets of variables: water resources/quantity, ecosystem water quality, infrastructure, human health, and governance capacity. It will differ from other, similar frameworks in its:

  • comprehensiveness and integration (e.g. incorporation of governance variables)
  • sensitivity to spatial variation (in some tools) and
  • inclusion of decision-support tools

The WSF will be developed with two case study communities (Grand River and Lower Fraser Basins) whose input will be incorporated from the start. The team has made knowledge translation a key priority and wants to ensure that the research benefits water managers, policy makers and community watershed groups. In addition, the 'toolkit' will introduce the concept of water security to a broad public audience through the publication of a Primer in fall 2009 and a Canadian Water Security Manual in 2012.

*The Canadian Water Network (CWN), one of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), builds a network that develops opportunities related to the provision of safe, clean water. In collaboration with universities, government and industry, the CWN has developed a variety of scientific projects and initiatives that address key water-related issues facing Canadians while embracing strong multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral partnerships. For more information please visit their website at: http://www.cwn-rce.ca/

For further information, please contact:

Gemma Dunn
Research Associate and Policy Outreach Coordinator
Program on Water Governance
University of British Columbia
439 - 2202 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z4
Office Tel: 604 822 6474
Email: gemma.dunn@ubc.ca
www.watergovernance.ca