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Freshwater Atlas

 

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The Freshwater Atlas is a standardized dataset for mapping the province's hydrological features. The atlas defines watershed boundaries by height of land and provides a connected network of streams, lakes and wetlands. Each stream in the province has its own watershed (the land drained by that stream), but it is also linked to the other streams and watersheds that it flows from and to.

This allows you to connect a stream to both its tributaries and the watersheds associated with them. Simply put, you could, conceptually, launch a paper boat in the headwaters of a small creek in the interior and trace its route to the sea. You could also identify all the wetlands, lakes and watersheds your boat passed through.

Why was it developed?

The atlas was designed to be the definitive source for mapping freshwater features in B.C. It provides a consistent base and coding system ensuring the province?s various freshwater-related inventories are tied to a common base. Watersheds are bounded by heights of land and these heights of land provide the definitive reference for many administrative boundaries and land tenures. The Freshwater Atlas provides a connected network that serves as the foundation for sophisticated analysis and modelling.





 

 

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In 2008, the BC Government committed to improving consultation and respectful engagement with First Nations.   Benefits of this work—to government, First Nations, proponents, and the public—include enhancing meaningful government-to-government relations with First Nations, creating a positive investment climate by providing certainty and predictability, and reducing the heavy consultation workload for all parties.

The First Nations Initiatives Division (FNID), a division of the Integrated Land Management Bureau, is leading a shift in business to the “Virtual integration” of aboriginal relations.  Virtual Integration is a government initiative to implement common, policies, procedures and tools across all the natural resource agencies.  FNID works with all Natural Resource Agencies to deliver Virtual Integration through two main business lines:

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