Water Policy Fellowships

Cecilia Ferreyra

Cecilia's work as a Gordon Foundation Fellow was focused on the collaborative nature of Source Water Protection planning and implementation. A key result of her research was that such planning processes are not just about ecology, but also have economic, social and political dimensions. Collaborative management requires dealing with different perspectives and values, types of knowledge, policy styles and management approaches.

After completing her PhD in Human Geography at the University of Guelph, Cecilia conducted post-doctoral research with the Guelph Water Management Group at the same University. Her research included the project -- Water Allocation and Water Security: A Canadian Assessment -- funded by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and led by Dr. Rob de Loë and Dr. Reid Kreutzwiser. This was a comprehensive, national assessment of provincial, territorial and federal water allocation arrangements relating both to surface water and groundwater. Currently, Cecilia works as a Policy Analyst with the Cross-Ministry/Stakeholder Relations Section of Alberta Environment, where she is involved in cross-ministry initiatives supporting the emerging Land Use Framework and Cumulative Effects Management System for that province.

Cecilia's current work has been greatly influenced by the collaborative research she carried out as a Gordon Fellow. She learned that establishing better links among research, policy and practice significantly increases the possibility that research results will eventually be implemented on the ground. Importantly, the relationships with water practitioners and policy leaders developed as a Fellow enhanced the quality of her research because they led to a better understanding of different perspectives on water issues.