Integrated Watershed Management

With our extensive natural areas and numerous lakes and waterways, Muskoka is rich in natural capital, which is vital to our economy and the quality of our lives. Effective management can sustain that capital to the maximum extent possible while permitting the development required to house our population and sustain our economy.

This natural capital – the soils, forests, grasslands, wetlands – also plays a role in determining the flow of water into streams, rivers and lakes. However, we lack a detailed understanding of how natural capital affects flow from place to place across our watershed, and how climate change may modify these regulating processes.

MWC recommends that an advanced form of integrated watershed management (IWM) be implemented in Muskoka, ultimately to drive all aspects of environmental management and land-use planning. Recognizing the strong dependence of the economy and community on a high quality environment, IWM can be designed to meet the needs and goals of every business owner, wage earner, property owner and visitor in the watershed. By integrating socio-economic criteria with environmental management, IWM is intended to create more sustainable communities.

IWM is an approach that requires us to manage human activities and natural resources, together, on a watershed basis taking into consideration the connected interests and needs of the environment, economy and society. Graphic from Conservation Ontario.
IWM is an approach that requires us to manage human activities and natural resources, together, on a watershed basis taking into consideration the connected interests and needs of the environment, economy and society.
Graphic from Conservation Ontario

IWM Committee

The IWM Committee, formerly the Community Roundtable (CRT), was established by MWC in 2021. Its mission is to promote and support the initiation of IWM in the Muskoka River Watershed by:

  1. Providing the District of Muskoka with input and advice on its initial suite of projects in the “Making Waves” initiative; and
  2. Engaging and educating the watershed community and contributing local input, knowledge, experience and guidance in the development of an integrated watershed management strategy for the Muskoka River Watershed.

The IWM Committee includes MWC members, representatives from municipalities with lands within the Muskoka River Watershed, and members drawn from a variety of business interests, organizations, and communities across the watershed. For more information about the IWM Committee, contact [email protected].

Vision

That the natural environment, the community, and the economy of the Muskoka River Watershed remain healthy, resilient, and sustainable in perpetuity.

IWM Committee Meetings

The IWM Committee meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 4 pm over Zoom. To attend a meeting, please contact [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting details.

IWM Resources

Over the past few years, MWC has produced a number of resources discussing IWM and its application in Muskoka. The 2019 Muskoka Stewardship Conference and 2024 Muskoka Summit on the Environment also focused on watersheds and watershed management.

MWC Publications

IWM Roadmap (2025)

Cover of the Watershed Governance Report

Watershed governance: A selection of case studies for informing integrated watershed management in the Muskoka River Watershed (2023)

The Evolution of Water Management in the Muskoka River Watershed

The Evolution of Water Management in the Muskoka River Watershed (2020)

The Case for Integrated Watershed Management in Muskoka (2020)

The Case for Integrated Watershed Management in Muskoka (2020)

Planning for Climate Change in Muskoka (2016)

MWC Articles

MWAG Recommendations

The Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group (MWAG) submitted an interim report on issues and priorities for protecting the watershed and supporting the local economy to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). Several of the recommendations relate to IWM.

Other Resources

Presentations

IWM Conference

Presentations from the Municipal IWM Conference held in Bracebridge on February 9, 2024.

Photo of local and regional IWM advocates.
Bringing a greater understanding of the need for IWM in the Muskoka Region (from left to right): Peter Sale, Sandra Cooke, Jack Imhof, Kevin Trimble, Deborah Martin-Downs, Neil Hutchinson, Julie Cayley, Glenn Cunnington, Barbara Veale, Norman Yan, Kathleen Padulo and Brian Dwayne Sarazin.

Documents

Papers

Articles