Themes

About our themes

With fresh water being so integral to the survival and day-to-day operation of Canada, it is no wonder that such enormous stress is placed on the nation's watersheds.

The 10 themes presented here have been carefully chosen, from research by both the federal government and non-governmental organizations, to reflect the key issues affecting the 595 mapped watersheds on this site. They are designed to inform users about the major human and environmental factors affecting watersheds in Canada and to provide examples of the consequences of our inaction.

We've loosely categorized these themes in four ways: rural, urban, northern and industry. However, since watersheds don't respect municipal, regional or even international borders, many of the themes straddle more than one category.

One theme in particular,'Protecting water,' is crosscutting, applicable to all Canadian watersheds. It addresses the need for watershed protection in Canada and underscores the importance of the current stewardship activities taking place across the country.

By understanding why the nation's watersheds need protection, Canadians can better equip themselves to take action.