Planning for the Future

This IISD guidebook provides a framework for integrating climate adaptation planning into Manitoba's Integrated Watershed Management Plans (IWMPs). It outlines a five-stage adaptation process—getting started, assessing risk, identifying actions, implementing, and monitoring—and maps these onto the existing IWMP stages. The guide introduces a risk matrix for prioritizing hazards based on likelihood and severity and offers a menu of climate-resilient actions, such as wetland restoration and riparian management, to enhance the resilience of natural and human systems against floods, droughts, and extreme heat.

• The guidebook proposes integrating climate adaptation planning into Manitoba's existing Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) process to increase climate resilience at a watershed scale. This integration allows watershed districts to prepare for changing risks and limit adverse impacts on natural systems, economic sectors like agriculture and tourism, and physical infrastructure.
• The document distinguishes between 'traditional actions' and 'climate-resilient actions.' Traditional actions are existing programs or beneficial management practices (BMPs) that do not explicitly consider climate risk. Climate-resilient actions are those that explicitly consider climate risk and are implemented to provide adaptation benefits.
• The adaptation planning process is described as a cyclical, iterative five-stage process: 1) Getting started, 2) Assessing and prioritizing climate vulnerability and risk, 3) Identifying and evaluating climate-resilient actions, 4) Implementing the adaptation plan, and 5) Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL).
• The guidebook identifies specific 'adaptation entry points' within the IWMP process. These include reviewing climate basics and incorporating adaptation into the terms of reference during preplanning; learning about projections, hazards, and resilient actions during the information gathering stage; and including climate-resilience actions in the final implementation plan.
• To prioritize climate risks, the guide suggests a risk matrix exercise that evaluates the 'likelihood' (probable frequency) and 'severity' (impact/consequence) of climate-related hazards. Risks are then categorized as high, moderate, or low to determine the urgency of action.
• The guidebook provides a menu of climate-resilient actions to address various risks. Examples include riparian area management to slow water flow during floods and reduce water temperature; planting shelterbelts to reduce wind speed and provide shade; and conserving or restoring wetlands to provide flood prevention and groundwater recharge.
• Water retention is highlighted as a traditional action that can become a climate-resilient action if designed with future climate projections in mind, such as increasing storage capacity to handle heavier spring runoff or alleviate prolonged drought.
• The guide emphasizes the importance of participatory engagement, suggesting that watershed planners use surveys and facilitated discussions to gather local observations of climate changes and identify community concerns and priorities.

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} }