Planning for the Future

The document outlines a process for enhancing the climate resilience of Manitoba's watersheds by embedding adaptation planning into the existing Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) process. It provides a step-by-step guide across six stages—preplanning, gathering information, plan drafting, review, approval, and implementation—to help local authorities identify climate hazards, prioritize risks using a risk matrix, and implement climate-resilient actions. The guide distinguishes between 'traditional actions' and 'climate-resilient actions,' emphasizing the need to avoid maladaptation. It includes practical tools such as a menu of climate-resilient actions (e.g., wetland restoration, riparian management), guidance on using the Climate Atlas of Canada for data, and a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework to track the effectiveness of adaptation measures.

• Manitoba's climate is warming faster than any other Canadian region outside the Arctic, leading to increased frequencies of wildfires, floods, droughts, and changing precipitation patterns.
• The guidebook distinguishes between 'traditional actions,' which are existing beneficial management practices that do not explicitly consider climate risk, and 'climate-resilient actions,' which are designed or modified to provide specific adaptation benefits.
• Implementing traditional actions without considering future climate projections can lead to maladaptation, where an action unintentionally increases vulnerability or causes new risks, such as using a single tree species for shelterbelts that is susceptible to invasive pests enabled by warmer winters.
• The guide recommends a three-tiered approach to gathering climate projections: a simple approach using broad provincial summaries, an intermediate approach using the Climate Atlas of Canada for regional data, and a complex approach using ClimateData.ca for detailed, location-specific analysis.
• A menu of climate-resilient actions is provided to address specific risks, including capturing runoff from farm drainage, implementing grazing management for grassland conservation, restoring riparian areas, and enhancing water retention structures.
• Effective monitoring of adaptation efforts requires both output indicators, which track if an action was implemented (e.g., number of trees planted), and outcome indicators, which measure if the action was effective (e.g., change in flood-related crop loss).

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2024). Planning for the Future. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/enhancing-manitoba-integrated-watershed-management-plans.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Planning for the Future. 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/enhancing-manitoba-integrated-watershed-management-plans.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Planning for the Future |date=August 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/enhancing-manitoba-integrated-watershed-management-plans.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2024planning, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Planning for the Future}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/enhancing-manitoba-integrated-watershed-management-plans.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }