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Strengths and Challenges
For any partnership to be effective, the organizations involved must have compatible motives for collaboration; in many cases, interest in collaboration may be commitment or capacity-driven, and any differences in expectations will result in failure. According to Watson, who did a review of the FBC in 2001, the potential for disagreement is particularly strong with organizations such as the FBC, in which a large number of stakeholders with diverse interests are involved. 49 At times, members have seen each other as having widely varying authority, seniority, legitimacy and resources.
Although different expectations and interpretations of sustainable development exist among members of the Council, there is an agreement that an approach based on cooperation and consensus offers the best prospects for progress and enduring solutions that have the widest possible buy-in. This agreement is made possible in part through broad support for the Council's inheritance: the vision, goals, principles and directions of its Charter. With the Charter serving as 'common ground' upon which discussions can be based, the FBC is able to avoid many of the challenges that are typically encountered during the formation of a partnership arrangement. 50
One requirement for the successful operation of a partnership is that a fair balance of representation and power exists among the participants; otherwise, if imbalances in representation or power exist, the credibility and legitimacy of a sustainable development partnership will be seriously damaged. To ensure this balance, the FBC operates as an impartial facilitator to produce consensus among government and non-government interests regarding sustainable development. 51
Finally, Watson notes that a partnership must be flexible in order to respond sensitively to different circumstances and needs. 52 This is particularly important for organizations such as the FBC that deal with very large geographical areas which include complex biophysical and socio-economic systems that are subject to fluctuation and change. Because the number of potential concerns identified at the regional level is so large and human and financial resources are limited, it was necessary for the FBC to develop a set of criteria to determine which issues should be addressed. Specifically, the FBC only offers facilitation or support when the three dimensions of sustainability are evident in the issue, when help is requested by at least two separate organizations, when the initiative is consistent with the Charter for Sustainability, and when no other organization is available to fulfill the FBC's unique role.
While compatible motives and sound procedures are important elements of a successful partnership, the actual impacts of the initiative are probably the most crucial indicators of performance. Without demonstrated impacts, the commitment of stakeholders in terms of political and financial support is unlikely to be maintained. 53
Many of the important sustainability issues facing Fraser Basin residents, governments, community groups and businesses are Basin-wide – and even, province-wide – in scope. Issues include preparing for the next great Fraser River flood, controlling the spread of invasive plant species, managing the effects of climate change, strengthening rural communities, developing a sustainable fish and fisheries strategy, building constructive aboriginal and non-aboriginal relationships and measuring progress towards sustainability.
Other issues are of concern to specific regions of the Basin. Some of these regional issues include threats to property and navigation from waterborne debris in the Fraser Valley, maintaining a healthy estuary at the mouth of the River, developing a Sustainable Region Initiative in the GVRD, addressing deteriorating water quality in Shuswap Lake, developing a set of sustainability indicators for the City of Quesnel, and resolving conflicts over water flows on the Nechako River. 54
In addition to addressing sub-Basin issues, the FBC has also worked to increase public awareness about sustainability issues throughout the Basin and motivate people to take action to make their part of the Basin more sustainable. In all of its programs and projects, the FBC considers the needs of the entire Basin rather than those of any single jurisdiction, interest, organization, or individual.
In carrying out initiatives, the Council has recognized the need to measure outputs and outcomes in relation to long-term goals. As a result, a set of 40 sustainability indicators has been designed to provide insight with respect to certain trends, and to identify areas where progress is being made or where more change is required. The variables encompass the usual indicators – such as water quality, education and income levels – in addition to providing innovative markers, such as forest composition, Internet access, and concentration of employment. 55
Recently, the Council assessed the indicator trends for the Basin and its five regions. In its State of the Fraser Basin Report, the Council reported that indicators such as education, sustainable forest management, employment and unemployment, average household income, water quality, life expectancy and population growth management are "normal and healthy." At the same time, other indicators need more "attention and improvement," such as the need for core housing, amount of community engagement, concentration of smog and other air pollutants, proportion of low income families, and levels of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 56
Uncertainty regarding funding arrangements is the greatest challenge facing the FBC. The private sector is an important potential source of additional funding, however, the FBC does not have a high external profile and has generally allowed the credit for successes to be given to other participating organizations. As a result, it may not be clear to private companies why their support is needed or how funding might generate returns for them. It has been suggested that the Directors representing sectoral interests in the five regions should be invited to establish a caucus of business interests that would mirror the arrangements that already exist for the four orders of government. This would improve the prospects for private contributions and may ultimately lead to a more stable arrangement whereby funds are provided in equal measure by federal departments, provincial ministries, local governments and business organizations. 57
Lessons Learned
The Council's emphasis on managing development in the Fraser Basin has consistently been "to create a place where social well-being is supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment," a vision that is entirely consistent with that of many watershed-based organizations. 58 The socio-political structure and overlapping jurisdictions of the water-related institutions in the Fraser Basin are not unlike others, and could provide insights into a non-governmental approach to watershed (and ecosystem) management. 59
In evaluating the FBC's model, Watson concluded that multi-stakeholder partnerships have the potential to contribute to sustainable development at the river basin scale, provided that the following institutional requirements are satisfied:
- The partnership must have a clearly defined role which does not duplicate the functions of existing organizations - The FBC performs a facilitation role rather than functioning as a fifth order of government that may threaten the authority or power of public officials.
- The organizations involved must be compatible. Since needs, interests and expectations are likely to differ, a common vision including goals and the means of reaching them should be developed - The Charter provides strategic direction but is also used at an operational level to ensure that inititatives are consistent with sustainable development as prescribed by the FBC.
- Partnerships must provide equitable representation and power - The fact that the FBC is a not-for-profit charity that is beyond direct government control is significant in this respect. Furthermore, the requirement for the FBC to operate by consensus ensures that powerful coalitions cannot out-vote minority interests.
- Sustainable development partnerships require adaptive capacity - The FBC has a horizontal governance structure that provides discretion and flexibility at the regional level and also cohesion with the different orders of government.
- Outputs and outcomes must be demonstrated because partnerships are a means to an end rather than an end in themselves - Current monitoring and reporting by the FBC indicated that a broad range of outputs and the measurement of outcomes using sustainabillity indicators is possible. 60
The Fraser Basin experience has demonstrated that establishing effective multi-stakeholder processes requires time and commitment, key interests should be involved at the earliest possible point, and multi-interest processes can effectively provide a forum for addressing the joint management of land and water for more sustainable watersheds. 61 Furthermore, the pursuit of sustainability is clearly an on-going task. As such, the Council's efforts should be cumulative; the Council must meet its ever-shifting targets by being infinitely adaptable to change. It is expected that the Council will continue to be called on to expand its work into provincial, national and international realms, partnering with existing organizations and adapting in the process.