The governments of Canada, Alberta and the Northwest Territories established the Northern Rivers Ecosystem Initiative (NREI) to answer questions and address recommendations from the Northern River Basins Study (NRBS), which took place between 1992 and 1996. The NREI was a science-based effort to gain more information to help understand the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems in this region of Canada’s north. Its mission was to provide further scientific information as part of the governments’ 1997 response to the recommendations of the NRBS. Its goal was to understand the impacts of development on the northern river ecosystems and help protect aquatic ecosystems.