An Ecological Flow Assessment Framework: Building a Bridge to Implementation in Canada

Quantification of the water requirements of an aquatic ecosystem, expressed as design flow regimes, enables identification of potential conflicts between human and ecosystem needs. Design flow regimes provide end-points for predictive modelling and continuous refinement of land and water management strategies to resolve conflicts. To support ecological floe assessment in Canada, a framework is proposed that is integrated, holistic, hierarchical and adaptive. A context setting phase uses multi-disciplinary expert input to qualify cause-response linkages and identify the particular needs of habitat specialists. This focuses subsequent analyses on appropriate ecological processes and determines the hierarchical level of analysis needed. A design flow setting phase combines tools to develop the design regime from a reference regime and tools to quantify flows required to sustain particular ecological processes.