Mackenzie River Basin overview
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Overview
The Mackenzie River Basin is Canada’s largest river basin, covering about 1.8 million km2or about 20% of the landmass of Canada. It includes portions of five provinces and territories. The rivers in the basin cross multiple political boundaries. The basin includes the northern flowing Mackenzie river, nine lakes that cover over 1,000 km2 , and three large deltas. Industrial activities in the basin include agriculture, fossil energy, forest products, hydroelectricity, and mineral extraction.
The Mackenzie River Basin
The Mackenzie River Basin covers about 1.8 million km2 and includes portions of five provinces and territories. The rivers in the basin cross multiple boundaries including the Mackenzie River, nine lakes and three large deltas.
Key issues
Key issues and concerns in the basin include downstream impacts to water quality, water quantity and traditional use due to resource extraction, hydroelectric development, and other industries; climate change impacts to biodiversity, and impacts to river flow and sediment loading from melting permafrost; and the presence of aquatic species at risk and aquatic invasive species.
Working with others
The governments of Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Yukon signed the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement in July 1997, and formed the Mackenzie River Basin Board. The Board is a cooperative forum to collaboratively maintain the ecological integrity of the entire Mackenzie watershed. As a new Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative, priorities for the Mackenzie River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative will be informed by foundational efforts and engagement with the Mackenzie River Basin Board in collaboration with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners.
The Mackenzie River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative aims to support enhanced scientific understanding of key issues that contribute to state of the aquatic ecosystem reporting. Check our website regularly for updates on the next call for applications.