Actions to address the commitments made by Ministers in the Canada-Alberta-Northwest Territories Response to the Northern River Basins Study were undertaken, in a large part, through the Northern Rivers Ecosystem Initiative (NREI). The Initiative, which began in 1998, was a cooperative 5-year endeavor by the governments of Canada, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. The various follow-up actions to protect the northern rivers involved both policy initiatives and scientific research.