Supporting Freshwater Science
On this page
Overview
Freshwater science is critical to freshwater management and protection. Among other things, it can help us:
- better understand freshwater issues, their causes and their broader effects
- identify and evaluate possible solutions
- make decisions related to freshwater policy, regulation, action, and investment
- assess progress or measure achievement of actions and decisions to manage and protect freshwater
For these reasons, Canada’s strengthened Freshwater Action Plan includes significant funding to support freshwater science and advance freshwater science-related objectives for the Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives (FEI) in waterbodies of national significance. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will continue to lead this freshwater science, as well as freshwater monitoring. The Canada Water Agency will support and leverage science efforts and help promote coordination among freshwater partners.
To help support strengthened evidence-based decisions for the management and protection of fresh water in Canada, ECCC is leading the development of a National Freshwater Science Agenda. The Science Agenda will identify freshwater science priorities, for the most pressing freshwater challenges in Canada, outline freshwater science and knowledge needs to advance freshwater science for these priorities, and lay the groundwork for more integrated, aligned, coordinated, and collaborative freshwater science, both inside and outside the federal government, over the next 10 years. It will be national in scope, but also reflect different regional freshwater science needs to respond to regional challenges.
The Science Agenda will be inclusive, integrating input from federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments, non-government organizations, subject matter experts, science-users, and funders. It will also weave western science and Indigenous science and knowledge systems.
The Science Agenda will be evergreen with regular review and updates, conducted in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders, over the next 10 years.
Contact us
For more information on the National Freshwater Science Agenda, please contact PSNED-NFSA@ec.gc.ca.
Page details
- Date modified: