Climate change and resource development impacts in watersheds: Insights from the Nechako River Basin, Canada

Few studies to date examine the cumulative effects of climate change and resource development on social-ecological systems, such as watersheds. In partnership with a watershed alliance we endeavoured to understand the interplay of climate change and resource exploitation impacts in the Nechako River Basin, which drains an area of 52,000km(2) in northwestern Canada as part of the Fraser River Basin. Existing regional climatic studies show a clear warming trend over the last century and a projected mean temperature increase of similar to 2 degrees C for the 2050s. Watershed stakeholders determined that hydroelectric development and forestry activities interrelate particularly closely with climate impacts related to ecosystem function, water supply, and (resultantly) community well-being. Mining and oil and gas development do not currently represent a high level of concern, but will become problematic with future resource exploitation or climatic changes. The process was effective in grounding specific, day-to-day realities of climate change. The results illustrate the importance and challenge of considering both impact sources in tandem, and should inform ongoing regional planning and monitoring efforts. A major barrier to performing this type of assessment with regional stakeholders is communicating, cross-referencing, and visualizing the interrelationships between climate change and resource development, which are independently highly complex.