Leading Canada’s Northern Aquatic Research

Arctic, sub-Arctic and boreal regions are experiencing rapid, human-induced changes to aquatic ecosystems that threaten the natural environment and the livelihoods and traditions of northern communities worldwide. As scientists, governments and communities across the globe increasingly look for solutions to changes occurring in the Arctic, Canadian Rivers Institute scientists continue their mission of making every river — including those in the north — a healthy river.

International Collaboration for Arctic Research and Monitoring

Since 2010, the Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) has been assisting in coordinating the international efforts of the Arctic Council’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) – Freshwater. Through its partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), CRI has been the Secretariat responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, which provides Arctic countries with a structure and set of guidelines for initiating and developing monitoring activities that employ common approaches and indicators.

Through the implementation process, the CRI has played a lead role in organizing the collection of monitoring data from the circumpolar region and managing the CBMP-freshwater database to support the development of the first regional and circumpolar assessments of Arctic freshwater biodiversity. As the Secretariat of the CBMP-freshwater, CRI aims to continue to improve communication and coordination of Arctic freshwater scientists and further its collaboration with First Nations, Métis, Inuit, government, academia, and industry to support management decisions in Canada’s Arctic that protect freshwater biodiversity.