Knowledge integration in watershed planning

Watershed planning and management relies on a diverse range of stakeholders. Collabora-tive planning can provide an opportunity for those stakeholders to equitably share their knowledge and learn from other participants, but such an outcome cannot be assumed. This re-search explores the potential for improved knowledge integration in watershed planning through research of a community-based watershed planning initiative in rural Saskatchewan, Canada. Us-ing semi-structured interviews and document review, this research identifies different knowledge types involved in watershed planning, explains how that knowledge is integrated through the planning process, and derives lessons for future watershed planning initiatives. Four general knowledge types identified in the analysis—bureaucratic, administrative, local, and scientific—were also evident in the literature. Specifically, this research affirms local knowledge characteris-tics—that it is spatially constrained, heterogeneous, generated through a relationship with place, and accrued over time—described in the literature. Results also reinforce claims that clearly de-fining boundaries between knowledge types is difficult and even undesirable. Differing from the descriptions in the literature of bureaucratic knowledge as including aspects of administrative knowledge, this research proposes that a greater delineation between the two is advantageous to ensure adequate knowledge is present to support the planning process. Two broad themes of how different types of knowledge influenced the planning initiative are presented: cooperation for long-term planning—highly influenced by administrative and bureaucratic knowledge; and set-ting and achieving goals—dominated by scientific knowledge as an ecological narrative through-out the process. These themes echo the collaborative planning literature on the importance of in-cluding as many knowledge types as possible throughout the process, while also revealing the necessity of ensuring that all participants are engaged in deliberations in order to contribute their knowledge. To meet this need, context-appropriate planning activities must be selected to sup-port collaborative planning; amendments to the planning process used in the community-based planning initiative are proposed to meet these needs

Indigenous Water Justice In Manitoba Through Engagement In Water Governance

Globally, negative impacts on water resources from land development, pollution, and climate change demand greater attention to more effective water governance. In settler colonial countries such as Canada, these negative impacts alter Indigenous relationships with water, land, and each other, and contribute to water insecurity and water injustice for Indigenous peoples. Greater engagement of Indigenous peoples in water governance, research, management, and planning is arguably one way to address negative impacts on water resources in Indigenous communities, but not all types of engagement are as effective as others. I characterize Indigenous engagement in water governance from three geographic scales. A narrative review of the water governance literature finds that Indigenous engagement in settler-colonial nations is generally lacking in both legislation and practice, perpetuating water injustice for Indigenous people. At a regional scale engagement, I examine the degree to which Indigenous participation occurs in provincial watershed planning in Manitoba. At the community-scale, a case study documents the impacts of historic and contemporary water-related decisions as felt by members of Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, and their efforts in response. Participant observation and interviews with key informants provides practical insight into the water-related challenges facing the community and others in the province. Globally, multiple mechanisms and pathways to water justice are evident in the review, but their efficacy is highly contingent. In Manitoba, inclusion of Indigenous peoples in watershed planning is uneven, and there is limited evidence that Aboriginal and Treaty rights influence rates or nature of participation. Provincially decisions about water are made across different government departments, and Indigenous rights are unevenly recognized and respected between them. Additionally, existing regulatory processes and institutions, while procedurally fair, are not empowered to recognize or accommodate Aboriginal and Treaty rights. In this way, water governance is de-politicized, and settler and capitalist values are privileged above Indigenous rights and values. More support is needed to enhance Indigenous participation in watershed planning and water governance to attain water justice. Enhanced coordination, alternative institutional arrangements, and greater recognition and respect of Indigenous rights are needed to ensure water justice is attainable by Indigenous communities in Manitoba

A Parallel Approach to Water Stewardship Planning: Making Space for Traditional Knowledge and Western-Science

Peer ReviewedThe professional practice of planning and the state-controlled mechanisms under which western-science planning operate offer little to improve the lives of Indigenous people and their communities. Arguably, western-science planning along with its many legal tools, collectively reproduce existing colonial relations in the interest of state domination over, and suppression of, Indigenous people. In this paper, we describe a different planning model, one that Viswanathan (2019) refers to as “parallel planning”, wherein Indigenous planning principles are practiced in parallel to western-science planning, with each approach informing, and complementing, the other. Our case example is from the Saskatchewan River Delta wherein Indigenous values nested in traditional knowledge in the land and water are the centrepiece of a planning process supported by the western-science planning framework. Challenges facing this approach will be discussed alongside suggestions on how these challenges may be overcome

Planning Around Reserves: Probing the Inclusion of First Nations in Saskatchewan's Watershed Planning Framework

Watershed-based planning in Saskatchewan began in earnest after 2006 under the auspices of the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. Within a decade, a dozen watershed plans were produced following a planning framework that included technical and watershed resident committees. First Nation communities, or "reserves," exist within these watershed areas. This article probes the inclusion of First Nations in those plans. Using document analysis and keyword search, our analysis explores any spatial relationship that may exist between First Nation inclusion and the amount of reserve land in a watershed. The results of this research show that First Nation inclusion is limited in watershed planning in Saskatchewan. We see opportunity for more effective watershed planning through greater collaboration with First Nations

“We Don’t Drink the Water Here”: The Reproduction of Undrinkable Water for First Nations in Canada

First Nation communities in Canada are disproportionately plagued by undrinkable water and insufficient household sanitation. In addition, water resource management in First Nation communities has long been a technocratic and scientific mission controlled by state-led authorities. There has been limited engagement of First Nations in decision-making around water management and water governance. As such, problems associated with access to drinkable water and household sanitation are commonly positioned as hydrological or environmental problems (flood or drought) to be fixed by technical and engineering solutions. This apolitical reading has been criticized for not addressing the root cause of the First Nation water problem, but instead, of reproducing it. In this paper, an approach using political ecology will tease out key factors contributing to the current water problem in many First Nation communities. Using case study research set in source water protection planning, this paper explains how persistent colonial practices of the state continue to reproduce undrinkable water and insufficient household sanitation. Solutions to this ‘water problem’ require greater attention to First Nations water governance capacity and structures

Indigenous Perspectives on Water Security in Saskatchewan, Canada

The term “water security” continues to gain traction in water resources literature with broad application to human health, water quality, and sustainability of water supply. These western science applications focus almost exclusively on the material value of water for human uses and activities. This paper offers voice to other interpretations of water security based on semi-structured interviews with Indigenous participants representing varied backgrounds and communities from Saskatchewan, a Canadian prairie province. The results indicate that water security from an Indigenous perspective embraces much more than the material value of water. Five themes emerged from this research that speak to a more holistic framing of water security to include water as a life form, water and the spirit world, women as water-keepers, water and human ethics, and water in Indigenous culture. This broader interpretation provides a more nuanced understanding of water security, which serves to enrich the water security narrative while educating western science

Water for life in Alberta, Canada : Assessing First Nations engagement

Water is integral to Alberta’s economy, grounded in agriculture, power generation, extractive industry, tourism, and recreation. In 2003, the Government of Alberta released the Water for Life Strategy (the Strategy) amidst growing public concerns over multiple impacts on provincial water resources. The Strategy is a framework document guiding the development of watershed plans across the provincial landscape to be implemented by Watershed Protection and Advisory Committees (WPACs). This paper explores the extent to which First Nations in Alberta were included in the government’s development of the Strategy and in the implementation of the Strategy by the WPACs. Our research data was gathered through key informant interviews with WPAC personnel as well as content analysis of relevant planning documents from provincial and WPAC sources. The research results point to an absence of First Nations inclusion in both the development of the provincial water Strategy as well as the implementation of the Strategy through the WPAC policies and plans. The results also identify institutional gaps and opportunities by which the provincial government and the WPACs may engage more effectively and inclusively with Indigenous communities. From our analysis, we recommend a series of institutional arrangements to advance far greater inclusion of Indigenous voices and recognition of Indigenous peoples as rights-holders, in watershed planning in Alberta.L’eau fait partie intégrante de l’économie de l’Alberta, fondée sur l’agriculture, la production d’électricité, l’industrie extractive, le tourisme et les loisirs. En 2003, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a publié le document « Water for Life Strategy » alors que le public s’inquiétait de plus en plus sur les répercussions multiples sur les ressources en eau de la province. « Water for Life Strategy » est un document-cadre guidant l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre de plans de bassins hydrographiques dans l’ensemble de la province. Ceux-ci sont implantés par des Conseils consultatifs et de planification des bassins versants (WPAC). Cette étude explore dans quelle mesure les Premières Nations de l’Alberta ont été incluses dans l’élaboration de la stratégie par le gouvernement et dans la mise en œuvre de la stratégie par les Conseils consultatifs et de planification des bassins versants (WPAC). Nos données de recherche ont été recueillies à travers d’entretiens approfondis avec le personnel des WPAC, ainsi qu’à travers d’une analyse de contenu de documents d’aménagement pertinent de sources provinciaux et des WPAC. Les résultats de recherche indiquent une absence d’inclusion des Premières Nations dans l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre de la stratégie dans les plans et politiques des WPAC. Les résultats identifient également des lacunes et opportunités institutionnelles par lesquelles le gouvernement provincial et les WPACs puissent engager plus effectivement et inclusivement avec les communautés de Premières Nations. Afin de pallier cette situation, nous identifions les arrangements institutionnels nécessaires afin de promouvoir une plus grande inclusion des Premières Nations en tant que titulaires de droits dans l’aménagement de bassins hydrographiques en Alberta

Indigenous Perspectives on Water Security in Saskatchewan, Canada

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)National Sciences and Engineering Research Council CREATE for Water Security program at the University of SaskatchewanPeer ReviewedThe term “water security” continues to gain traction in water resources literature with broad application to human health, water quality, and sustainability of water supply. These western science applications focus almost exclusively on the material value of water for human uses and activities. This paper offers voice to other interpretations of water security based on semi-structured interviews with Indigenous participants representing varied backgrounds and communities from Saskatchewan, a Canadian prairie province. The results indicate that water security from an Indigenous perspective embraces much more than the material value of water. Five themes emerged from this research that speak to a more holistic framing of water security to include water as a life form, water and the spirit world, women as water-keepers, water and human ethics, and water in Indigenous culture. This broader interpretation provides a more nuanced understanding of water security, which serves to enrich the water security narrative while educating western science

Measuring First Nations Engagement in Water Governance in Manitoba

Water governance and ecosystem function in the Canadian prairies are in a state of crisis. Compounding this crisis, and adding complexity, is the relationship between the water governance authority of the state with Canada’s First Peoples. Meaningful engagement of Indigenous peoples in water governance is a necessary requisite to effective water management. This research characterizes the extent and depth of Indigenous engagement in watershed planning in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and examines the degree to which Indigenous rights are incorporated in that engagement. To do so, we analyze evidence of First Nation people’s inclusion in water governance, planning, and management processes. We conducted latent and manifest content analyses of watershed plans to identify the themes and frequency of content related to First Nations and Métis engagement and triangulated results with key informant semi-structured interviews and document reviews of water governance policies and legislation. Overall, we find that Indigenous engagement in Manitoba water governance has increased over time but is still lacking adequate recognition and implementation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights