The Prairies Regional Adaptation Collaborative is working to improve the resilience of the Prairie region to a changing climate through collaborative activities advancing adaptation decision-making.
Natural Resources Canada is partnering with the University of Regina’s Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative and the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba on this initiative. In addition, there is extensive collaboration including government, non-government organizations, and academia.
To address targeted climate change vulnerabilities, a series of projects, including forums, will be undertaken over the next three years to advance decision-making in the areas of water supply and demand, drought and flood planning, and, forest and grassland ecosystems. Project activities will result in recommendations and actions for regulations, standards, best practices, plans, and/or polices, as well as tools to support adaptation action.
More detailed information on the Prairies RAC is provided through visiting the University of Regina’s Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative website.
The project theme areas are summarized below
Water Supply and Demand
This theme will provide information on water supply, demand, deficits, socio-economic implications and recommendations to support risk-based decision-making for water policy and planning related to climate change impacts at the regional, provincial and inter-provincial scales. Activities include:
- Addressing water supply and demand involving an integrated analysis of future water supply and demand and the identification of water deficits in selected basins;
- Developing hydro-climate scenarios, climate variability assessments, and water demand projections; and,
- Indentifying the potential range and magnitude of water deficits.
Drought and Flood Planning
This theme will focus on the drought and excessive moisture planning by providing decision-makers with recommendations to incorporate into existing, or the development of new, policies, programs, plans, regulations and strategies aimed at improving resilience, increasing preparedness and enhancing response effectiveness. Activities include:
- conducting a series of workshops to develop policy recommendations;
- engaging key municipal and watershed planning decision-makers to develop recommendations for policies, planning and strategies to reduce drought and excessive moisture climate change risk; and,
- developing an inter-provincial communication framework for data, information and knowledge sharing to facilitate adaptation and coordination.
Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
This theme will address policy issues associated with Prairie forest and grassland ecosystems change resulting from climate change, and increasing moisture deficits and longer term drought. Activities include:
- assessing vulnerability and risk and identifying options and key adaptation strategies in selected areas by applying a climate change adaptation methodological framework;
- developing a series of case studies for policy analysis and option development resulting in recommendations for adaptation strategies; and,
- holding workshops and developing case studies resulting in recommendations for adaptation strategies.
- Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
- Alberta Environment
- Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
- Saskatchewan Agriculture
- Saskatchewan Research Council
- Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
- Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
- Manitoba Conservation
- Manitoba Local Government
- Manitoba Water Stewardship
PRAIRIES RAC CONTACT
For more information on the Prairie RAC, please contact:
(Ms) Pat Barrett-Deibert
University of Regina
Coordinator, Prairies Regional Adaptation Collaborative
Fraser Basin Council
Upper Fraser Regional Office
T: 306-585 4788
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