Watershed agencies were identified as playing an important role in watershed planning and monitoring programs, and state-ofthe-watershed reporting. A participant from one of the watershed agencies explained that watershed agencies could function as “an umbrella organization, looking at some of the issues that are out there and providing advisory comments” to the lead agency in terms of changes in baseline conditions, public concerns, and suspected incidents of non-compliance with mitigation or thresholds. Several participants also emphasized that independent scientific expertise was required to develop the appropriate indicators and tools needed to support CEAM. As described by one EA practitioner,
the scientific community must identify the appropriate indicators of cumulative change and “provide an independent evaluation that
is based on science.” Another practitioner similarly identified the
importance of the scientific community in developing the necessary
models and innovations needed to link river system health
to broader land uses and disturbance in the watershed, such that
the cumulative effects of individual actions can be understood. A
minority of participants, primarily those from watershed agencies,
raised the importance of Aboriginal and other local community
engagement in CEAM; however, most often such engagement was
identified as a requirement of the lead agency.