Join us for our third annual Community Water Forum: Nov. 19, 2019
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: Okanagan Regional Library Kelowna Branch | 1380 Ellis Street
Please RSVP by November 15, 2019. Seating is limited.
Hear from an insightful panel of experts about the important interactions between forests and water.
The Restoration Imperative
80% of our drinking water in BC comes from a forested watershed
Forests cover a large portion (60%) of the landscape in BC and play a vital role in regulating our water supply and mitigating drought and flooding.
Wildfires, floods, droughts, landslides and insects such as the Mountain Pine Beetle have all had significant environmental and socio-economic impacts on communities throughout BC. The cumulative effects of these disturbances threaten not only our access to adequate quantities of clean water but other important cultural, social, environmental and economic values as well.
“Forests are critical elements in our aquatic ecosystems. Large-scale disturbances of our forests can increase stream flow and soil erosion and consequently cause floods, landslides and other hazards that affect people and communities.” – Professor Adam Wei, Professor, Forest Hydrology, UBC Okanagan
BC forests are undergoing significant change and climate change is predicted to have adverse effects on the quality and quantity of our water supply in the coming decades. Gaining an understanding of the magnitude and intensity of these potential changes and how to mitigate them is of critical importance.
“British Columbia is already experiencing the effects of global climate change. Variable and extreme weather is becoming more frequent. Scientists expect these changes to accelerate and intensify in the years ahead, creating risks to society, natural resources, and ecosystems. Understanding and managing these risks will help protect B.C.’s residents, industries, and infrastructure while improving prosperity and reducing costs to future generations.”
Excerpt from the Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment for British Columbia, prepared July 2019 for the British Columbia (B.C.) Climate Action Secretariat, B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.