Planning to protect groundwater, toward an ecosystem approach

Abstract

The fundamental assertion of this study is that the ecosystem approach provides a principled and coherent basis for addressing current deficiencies in planning for groundwater. Two basic questions from the investigation: What strategies have emerged to address deficiencies in planning for groundwater protection?, and How might an ecosystem approach inform the development of such strategies in Ontario? groundwater presents unique challenges to applying an ecosystem approach. As a neglected area of environmental planning, the limited appreciation of its human benefits and ecological functions is compounded by groundwater's hidden complexity and variability.

Based on a review of the literature, an Ecosystem Approach Framework is designed. Eight principles and twenty-one attributes together describe an ecosystem approach to groundwater protection. A case study of a leading example of a regional groundwater strategy in Ontario: the Water Resources Protection Strategy for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo is undertaken using the conceptual framework as a heuristic guide.

The case study reveals evidence of continuing challenges related to planning on the basis of multiple groundwater system boundaries; the need to integrate goals of sustainable use with maintaining essential ecological processes and functions; assessing and monitoring potential cumulative threats; transforming reactive controls into preventative planning strategies; ensuring the accountability of core actor groups for groundwater protection; and addressing limited institutional capacity for implementation. The broader institutional context in Ontario is impacting negatively on the ability to address many of these challenges. Specific measures are recommended to support an ecosystem approach to groundwater protection.