Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices

The International Institute for Sustainable Development has developed a replicable spatial targeting strategy for water retention projects in the Canadian Prairies, designed for use in ungauged basins. By utilizing models like PTMApp and public digital elevation data, the strategy aims to optimize the placement of natural infrastructure—such as wetlands and small dams—to maximize phosphorus reduction and mitigate the increased risks of floods and droughts caused by climate change.

• The International Institute for Sustainable Development created a strategy for the spatial targeting of water retention projects in the Canadian Prairies. This strategy was designed for an ungauged basin, allowing it to be replicated in areas where water quantity and quality data are unavailable or limited. The strategy also included testing a method to identify non-contributing areas to increase its relevance to the Canadian Prairie landscape.
• Natural infrastructure, including small naturalized dams and wetlands, is essential for climate change adaptation in the Canadian Prairies. These features mitigate the risks of droughts and floods—which are exacerbated by extreme rainfall and prolonged dry periods—while also improving biodiversity, creating habitats, reducing atmospheric carbon, and improving water quality.
• Spatial targeting can maximize the return on investment and benefits of water retention projects by optimizing their position to intercept phosphorus. This is achievable using models such as the Prioritize, Target, and Measure Application (PTMApp), which utilize publicly available Light Detection and Ranging–based digital elevation models.

APA

Morissette,, J. S. V. (2025). Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/water-retention-spatial-targeting-canada-prairies

Chicago

Morissette,, Joey Simoes,Jason Vanrobaeys,René. Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/water-retention-spatial-targeting-canada-prairies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Morissette, |first1=Joey Simoes,Jason Vanrobaeys,René |title=Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=26 May 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/water-retention-spatial-targeting-canada-prairies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{morissette2025water, author = {Morissette,, Joey Simoes,Jason Vanrobaeys,René}, title = {{Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/water-retention-spatial-targeting-canada-prairies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }