Policy and Systems

Rivershed engages at the policy and systems level to help create conditions that allow local, place-based watershed efforts to succeed over the long term. This work supports a resilient Fraser Watershed where salmon, people, and economies can thrive together.

Policy and systems work is grounded in learning from on-the-ground programs and relationships across the watershed. Experience from Foodlands corridors, the Watershed Workforce, and the Watershed CPR Dashboard helps connect local realities to broader conversations about how watersheds are cared for, funded, and governed.

How this work shows up

Policy and systems efforts focus on strengthening the conditions that support watershed health, including:

  • Connecting learning from place-based initiatives to policy and funding discussions.
  • Supporting long-term, place-based investment in watershed stewardship and restoration.
  • Contributing to collaborative approaches to watershed governance and planning.
  • Sharing evidence and insights that reflects real conditions across the watershed.

This work helps ensure that that policies and investments remain responsive to what is happening in communities across the watershed.

A group poses for a photo in front of a high wood panelled wall and the Canadian and BC flags
Members of the BC Watershed Security Coalition Steering Committee with Premier, David Eby (sixth from left), and Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Randene Neill (left).

Working alongside others

Much of this work happens through collaboration. Rivershed contributes to shared policy and systems efforts by working alongside others committed to watershed health and resilience.

Rivershed serves on the steering committees of the BC Watershed Security Coalition and the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters, helping shape shared priorities related to watershed resilience, funding, and long-term governance. Through these collaborative spaces, learning from place-based initiatives helps inform collective approaches to watershed stewardship and systems change.

Rivershed is also sometimes invited to support other organizations, coalitions, and public agencies with coordination, research, communications, and policy development related to watershed resilience. These roles reflect trust built through long-term relationships and Rivershed’s position connecting place-based experience with broader policy and systems conversations across the Fraser Watershed.