Sustainable Funding Models for Watershed Co-Governance

This research project will analyze different funding options for watershed co-governance in the Nicola River watershed in British Columbia. There are ongoing efforts in the Nicola River watershed to develop and implement a co-governance structure involving the Province of BC and five Nicola First Nations. These efforts are made possible by short-term funding that is intended to last over the course of a two-year pilot project. Upon completion of the pilot in 2020, new sources of permanent, long-term funding will be required. Through background research and interviewees with those involved in the Nicola co-governance initiative, this project will analyze the trade-offs associated with different funding options. Rather than being prescriptive, the project is intended to provide information that will aid decision-makers in choosing a funding model that works in the context of the Nicola River watershed. This project will employ Structured Decision Making (SDM), a framework that allows for systematic analysis of complex, multi-stakeholder decisions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Evelyn Pinkerton

Student:

Richard Farthing-Nichol

Partner:

Compass Resource Management Ltd.

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: