Integrated Modeling

We are developing an integrated modeling platform that incorporates Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge about the watershed, and links to the data and models developed by other researchers in the cluster.

The modeling platform will support stakeholder dialogue and decision making by showing the trade-offs inherent in different management scenarios (e.g., timber vs. wildlife habitat vs. siwłkʷ (water) quality vs. cultural values vs. recreation vs. range….).

The model will forecast how these tradeoffs can be expected to evolve with climate change over the next century, and serve as an example of how an integrated approach to understanding the dynamics of a watershed can lead to more sustainable management of our province’s natural resources. Output from the model will support conversations related to governance in the sqʷʔa (Peachland Creek) watershed.

“We hope to transform the way that watersheds are managed in British Columbia, and internationally, to provide an approach that is more integrated, that considers the human and ecological interactions in a more comprehensive way, and that provides a framework for moving forward in which we don’t divide up watershed management by sector, and instead consider the interconnections between forestry, biodiversity, water, salmon specifically, and all of the other components in a watershed.”

—Dr. Lael Parrot, Integrated Modeling

Integrated Modeling Team