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“Politics prevents you from doing the right thing because of the political lens that is put on everything. It was frustrating when I tried to bring the reality of the clearcut logging situation before my colleagues. And getting ignored because it did not fit the political agenda. Nobody seemed to care about the science. In the political world, it is based on whatever the flavour of the month is rather than what is right. Politicians ignore what they do not understand. By ignoring the consequences of clearcut logging, they put themselves in a pretty serious predicament,” stated Mike Morris.

“If you are importing food, you are importing water. It is that simple. Also, our agricultural land in BC really is not as secure as everyone thinks. You can see all kinds of activities that do not support food production that are going on within the Agricultural Land Reserve. BC has two powerful tools for achieving food security. The Agricultural Land Use Inventory program is input to the Agriculture Water Demand Model. This is a powerful combination. These tools yield accurate data about agricultural land use and water need in all regions of BC,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

“As our population expands, this creates intense competition around land usage. As municipalities become increasingly built out, political pressure around the long-held provincial Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is intensifying. As we move forward into increasingly uncertain geopolitical times, we also need to take a sober look at the risks associated with dependence on a foreign food supply. As we move forward into increasingly uncertain geopolitical times, we also need to take a sober look at the risks associated with dependence on a foreign food supply, “stated Danielle Synotte.

“Local producers need sufficient access to water to grow crops, feed livestock and maintain healthy soil. In times of drought or water scarcity, a lack of water directly threatens food production and jeopardizes the livelihoods of farmers. Provincial food security hinges on predictable water availability. The impacts of climate change have disrupted this balance, casting doubt on the future of agriculture. Protecting water access for agricultural purposes is essential to maintaining food security for current and future generations,” wrote Kevin Boon and his co-authors.

“Climate change has elevated the risk of extreme weather the world over,” stated UBC’s Dr. Lori Daniels, webinar moderator. “In British Columbia, a natural flood risk mitigator lies all around us in the water-absorbing power of trees. Research has shown that even a modest loss of forest cover due to wildfire, logging and disease can cause surprisingly large increases in the frequency of extreme floods. Will dykes, dams and levees be enough to protect against property loss and devastation from floods in the future?”

“Through his research thrust over three decades, Younes Alila landed on a discovery that challenges mainstream practices and provides the foundation for a paradigm-shift in forest hydrology science and practice. In sharing his findings at a Community Town Hall event hosted at UBC Okanagan Campus in April 2024, Younes Alila laid out a compelling and powerful storyline that he titled Hydrology of Convenience in BC Forestry. He uses the term hydrology of convenience to frame the issue and thus capture attention,” stated Kim Stephens.

“Hydrologists have understandably been confused by the difficulties inherent in describing the nature and frequency of floods to laymen, who are apt to have little patience with probability statements. But among ourselves we must drop back to rigorous language in order to discuss and trade information about land-use causes and flood effects,” wrote John Hewlett, professor emeritus of forest resources at the University of Georgia. Many fundamental precepts of modern hydrology can be traced back to Hewlett’s work, including interflow and the use of stream buffers.

“At a time when most other jurisdictions continue to lose their food lands, BC’s ALR remains the most successful agricultural land preservation program in North America. With food security now becoming a top-of-mind public issue, thanks to the foresight demonstrated in 1973 we still have “the land” – and I submit we would not still have the option for viable agricultural sectors in high growth areas like the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan without the ALR. The ALR has been doing exactly what it was designed to do,” stated Joan Sawicki.

“In the past decade, land and water planning by the provincial government have advanced in fits and starts. Plans were often developed in response to conflict and litigation by Indigenous Nations or by local governments and authority holders seeking to fill planning gaps. While these plans are highly local and fit for purpose, they lack provincial authority and resources making them challenging to enforce. The report provides direction to both provincial and Indigenous decision-makers by outlining the need for, and elements of, a reformed provincial land and water planning framework,” stated Rosie Simms.

“50 years ago, BC’s political leaders took bold action to secure our farmland by creating the British Columbia Agricultural Land Reserve. This act of vision and courage created a legacy of food security that still benefits British Columbians today. But securing our farmland was only half the job: just like farmland is the source of our food security, healthy watersheds are key to our water security. It’s time to take bold action once again to secure and sustain our critical fresh water sources forever,” stated Tim Morris.