Healthy watersheds are critical for the long-term health and well-being of communities across the province in the face of climate events. Reconciliation and collaboration with Indigenous peoples is central to this work and government is partnering with Indigenous organizations to build the strategy.  The Government of BC is working with stakeholders to make sure efforts align with priorities like protection of fish habitat, land-use planning and protection of drinking water.

Key Figures:

• Watersheds are nested within 200 First Nations, 162 municipalities and 27 regional districts.
• Key themes of the strategy explore governance, climate change, ecosystems, drinking water, community and economic stability, and education and knowledge.
• The 2019 Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment identified seasonal and long-term water shortages as among the greatest risks to B.C.
• BC has funded $27M in the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, with more than 60 watershed and wetland restoration projects taking place at over 200 sites

Public feedback on a discussion paper is open from now until March 18th here: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/watershedsecurity