Monday, November 24 - morning
“Who Owns it and Who Profits from it?”

As demand for water increases, there is more potential for conflict over who owns it, who controls it, who gets to use it, and what gets done with it after it's used. In any given watershed, there are upstream and downstream conflicts, conflicts between agriculture and natural ecosystems, between rural and urban users, between conservation, industry, and recreation. As human needs for water increase, perhaps the first and most important thing to understand is the full value of water – environmentally, culturally, spiritually, and economically. The plenary speaker was Dr. Aaron Wolf, Associate Professor of geography in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University, speaking on the topic of "Conflict and Cooperation over International Waters". Panelists included: Josh Smienk, Chair, Board of Directors for the Columbia Basin Trust; Susan Poats, International Development Research Centre Grupo Randi Randi (Equador); Chuck Howard, Senior Advisor, Water Management; Barry Worbets, Canada West Foundation.

Monday, November 24 - afternoon
“Integrated Watershed Management”

Decision-making about water management and allocation follows many models worldwide, but many areas are seeking ways to minimize conflict by involving a full range of stakeholders. Integrating the work of those who preserve mountain watersheds, those who use or impact the water downstream, and those responsible for water treatment can produce better decision-making and better buy-in for the decisions reached. The plenary speaker was Margaret Catley-Carlson, Chair of The Global Water Partnership and The Water Resources Advisory Committee for Suez/Lyonnaise of Paris. Panelists included: Simon Carter, Team Leader with the International Development Research Centre, Minga Program; Hector Cisneros, Coordinator of the Consortium of the Sustainable Development of the Andes (CONDESAN); Jack Imhof, National Biologist, Trout Unlimited Canada; Graeme Enders, regional coordinator for Snowy River Recovery activities for the New South Wales Government of Australia.

Tuesday, November 25 - morning
“Mountain Water Ecosystems: Conservation and Restoration”

Mountain Water Ecosystems have an enormous impact on all downstream users because it is in the mountains that much of the world's freshwater is stored, controlled and released. The capacity of mountains to function in this way is dependent upon a healthy mountain water ecosystem. Distributed in a controlled manner, mountain waters are crucial for drinking water, irrigation and food production downstream. Mountain sourced water also contributes to conservation of the rich biodiversity that exists in many mountain regions. But mountain ecosystems are fragile, and the very steepness of the slopes, severity of storms and deforestation can result in uncontrolled surface runoff, soil erosion and excessive sedimentation of downstream waters. Although the majority of those most affected are downstream, we must also focus our attention on mountain areas to ensure conservation. The plenary speaker was Dr. Hans Schreier, Professor at the Institute for Resources and Environment at the University of British Columbia. Panelists included: Larry Hamilton, Vice-Chair for Mountains in the World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN); Paul Kariya, Executive Director of the Pacific Salmon Foundation; Yuri Badenkov, Professor at the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Science in Moscow.

Wednesday, November 26 - morning
“Impact of Climate Change”

According to the US National Snow & Ice Data Centre, 75% of all freshwater is stored in glacial ice, much of which is in mountain areas. However, glaciers are melting rapidly; some are even disappearing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) – believes that average air temperatures may rise by up to 6 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Such increases would have a profound impact on how much fresh water there is and how it will be released to downstream users. The plenary speaker was Dr. David Schindler, Killam Memorial Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta. Panelists included: Dick Beamish, Senior Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch; Pierre Etchevers, Chief of a research team on the numeric snow modelling at Météo-France/Centre d’Etudes de la Neige; and Fred Wrona, Branch Director, Aquatic Ecosystem Impacts Research Branch, Environment Canada - National Water Research Institute.

Wednesday, November 26 - afternoon
“20 Year Horizon: Search for Solutions”

Policy changes, technological changes, water management changes will all affect the future of our mountain water towers. The plenary speaker was Isobel Heathcote, University of Guelph, Dean of Graduate Studies and author of "Integrated Watershed Management: Principles and Practice". Panelists included: Bev Yee, with Alberta Environment presenting on the newly launched Alberta Water Strategy; Juan Carlos Alurralde of the International Development Research Centre – the Andean vision; Camille Dow-Baker, President and CEO of Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology based in Calgary.