Risks, vulnerability, and participation: a layered management approach

Abstract

Canada is evolving towards a layered water resource management approach which will empower Canadian communities and accelerate response to critical issues such as climate change and resource scarcity. Greater community involvement has occurred both spontaneously and been encouraged within the federal government's transdisciplinary approach, as reflected in the embrace of integrated water resource management (IWRM). This trend fits within the evolving global, democratic culture, with its increasing recognition of rights, interests and vulnerabilities. By using consensus-building and creative problem resolution, the layered management approach moves away from traditional optimization models and communities themselves become leaders in adaptation. This evolving culture will be set out in international context, explaining how Canada's goals have led to a greater awareness of individual, group, sector and community-based vulnerabilities. It will lay out the concept of vulnerability within a framework consistent with initiatives undertaken by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).