Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba

The report advocates for a transition from fragmented, boundary-based planning to an integrated watershed approach in northern Manitoba's Nelson-Churchill River Basin. It identifies critical ecosystem services—including hydroelectricity, mining, and carbon storage—and proposes seven principles for successful management: basin planning, leadership, multi-party approaches, shared decision-making with Indigenous communities, robust monitoring, legislative support, and sustainable funding. The authors recommend establishing a multi-party basin-level organization to coordinate sustainable development and mitigate environmental stresses from resource extraction and climate change.

• The northern NCRB provides significant economic and environmental value through provisioning services (hydroelectricity, minerals, forest products), regulating services (carbon storage in the boreal), and cultural services (tourism). In 2016, Manitoba Hydro produced hydroelectricity worth approximately CAD 1,800 million, and the northern region contributed CAD 116 million to the economy from tourism.
• Current planning in the northern NCRB is fragmented and based on political, institutional, or industry boundaries rather than integrated basin-level thinking. While other Manitoba watersheds like the Red and Assiniboine Rivers have large-scale planning, the northern Nelson-Churchill region lacks this approach.
• The hydrologic regime of the northern NCRB has been significantly altered by human intervention, specifically a diversion channel that moves water from the Churchill into the Nelson basin, reducing the Churchill River's average flow by about 58 per cent.
• Climate change is expected to impact the basin with greater speed and magnitude than temperate regions due to polar amplification, with predicted effects including reduced soil moisture and increased carbon dioxide fluxes from the soil.
• Indigenous Peoples, who make up an estimated 65 per cent of the population in northern Manitoba, are essential partners for sustainable management due to their long history on the land and legal rights.
• There is currently no single entity leading watershed management in the northern NCRB, though the report suggests that collaborative leadership structures involving NGOs, government agencies, and intergovernmental bodies could be effective.
• The region lacks watershed-specific funding, relying instead on a patchwork of government services and industry requirements. The report suggests exploring innovative sources such as payments for ecosystem services, which are not yet present in the northern NCRB but have potential via carbon markets.

APA

Roy, D., Zubrycki, K., Lewtas, K., Osman, H., Gunn, G., & Grosshans, R. (2016). Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/large-area-planning-nelson-churchill-river-basin-summary.pdf

Chicago

Roy, Dimple, Karla Zubrycki, Kimberly Lewtas, Hisham Osman, Geoffrey Gunn, and Richard Grosshans. Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/large-area-planning-nelson-churchill-river-basin-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roy |first1=Dimple |last2=Zubrycki |first2=Karla |last3=Lewtas |first3=Kimberly |last4=Osman |first4=Hisham |last5=Gunn |first5=Geoffrey |last6=Grosshans |first6=Richard |title=Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/large-area-planning-nelson-churchill-river-basin-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roy2016large, author = {Roy, Dimple and Zubrycki, Karla and Lewtas, Kimberly and Osman, Hisham and Gunn, Geoffrey and Grosshans, Richard}, title = {{Large Area Planning in the Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB): Laying a foundation in northern Manitoba}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/large-area-planning-nelson-churchill-river-basin-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }