Sustainable Funding For Watershed Security: Mechanisms and Models

 

Watersheds BC is pleased to announce the publication of a new report, Sustainable Funding for Watershed Security: Mechanisms & Models.

Across BC, communities understand that watershed security can no longer be taken for granted. Watershed-based organizations and initiatives are playing an increasingly important role in freshwater management and stewardship in BC, but they are missing a significant challenge that threatens to undermine their effectiveness: a lack of sustainable funding.

The report provides a comprehensive look at what it means to develop a sustainable funding model for watershed security. In it, we review 25 funding mechanisms and 10 funding models that contribute to sound governance in their watersheds.

“Watershed security and resilient communities require good watershed governance and sustainable funding. If we collectively want to enable a proactive approach where we are better equipped for climate uncertainty and water-related challenges, BC needs to support this growing sector of watershed entities and the communities doing this critical work with core, stable funding.” 

This paper complements two other reports produced by Watersheds BC: Case Studies: Examining Local Government Sustainable Funding Mechanisms in BC and Lessons Learned: The Sustainable Funding for Watershed Governance Initiative. 

Three sections are included in this report:

Key concepts: Provides an overview of the key concepts of sustainable funding, including different types of funding mechanisms and instruments, the difference between core and project funding, and what it means to establish a sustainable funding model.

Funding Mechanisms: Reviews 25 potential funding mechanisms that are available to support watershed security. They are categorized by different jurisdictions and organizations, including federal, provincial, and local governments, First Nations, non-governmental organizations, and industry. 

Funding Models: Presents the funding models of 10 collaborative watershed governance organizations—four from BC, three from elsewhere in Canada, and three from outside Canada. This is complemented by a more detailed analysis of funding mechanisms and models in Appendices A and B. The paper concludes with a summary of key observations about the range of potential funding mechanisms considered, and their current availability and applicability in British Columbia. 

Read the full report here: Sustainable Funding for Watershed Security: Mechanisms & Models

Please direct any questions to [email protected]