BC water symposium: Creating a water science strategy

The British Columbia Government together with UVIC, UBC Okanagan, UNBC and MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems) are hosting a BC Water Symposium on August 30th to September 1st, 2010, in three locations concurrently across the province: Victoria, Kelowna, and Prince George.

The objectives of the symposium are to discuss emerging issues pertinent to water science, to develop new collaborative relationships, and to work together to build the foundations for a Water Science Strategy for BC. In addition, the symposium will expose participants to new ideas and initiatives and provide a venue for sharing knowledge and discussing its application to local issues.

There is a vast amount of water research occuring in British Columbia, from hydrological modelling to governance, but few opportunities for experts in different fields to come together to look at water management issues from a holistic perspective. This symposium will foster these interactions which can lead to the development of collaborative relationships and promote more coordinated, interdisciplinary approaches to tackling issues related to water management.

The Symposium will begin with a public lecture and have a mix of plenary talks from both local and international experts, panel discussions, break-out discussions, networking breaks as well as a poster reception. This mix of platforms will give participants a chance to listen to leading experts as well as to meet new colleagues and engage in dialogue around the content of a Water Science Strategy for BC.

Developing a Water Science Strategy (WSS) is a commitment made by the BC Government in Living Water Smart: BC’s Water Plan. The Government’s intention is to facilitate a collaborative process with multiple partners to produce a strategy that can be used by organizations across the province to bridge the gap between those that create and hold water related knowledge and those that apply this knowledge to make decisions, support policy development and create operational procedures. The process of developing a WSS will also help to create new partnerships and collaborations between information creators and information users which in itself will further society’s common goal of sustainably managing BC’s water resources and aquatic ecosystems.