Ecological Accounting Process

banner

Tag:

Vancouver Island

    FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS FOR ENHANCEMENT AND RESTORATION OF THE NATURAL COMMONS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: “The starting point for application of EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, is recognition that local governments have existing tools in the form of policies and legislation for ‘maintenance and management’ (M&M) of ecological assets within riparian corridors,” wrote Tim Pringle, EAP Chair, in the report on the application of EAP to Shelly Creek on the east coast of Vancouver Island (February 2020)


    “Until now, what local governments have lacked are a pragmatic methodology for financial valuation, and meaningful metrics that go to the heart of sustainable service delivery. EAP provides metrics that enable communities to appreciate the worth of ecological assets,” stated Tim Pringle. Six foundational and cascading concepts underpin the EAP methodology and provide a mind-map. The M&M acronym is a starting point for encouraging practitioners to think holistically about the relationship between hydrology and ecology.

    Read Article

    IMPROVING WHERE WE LIVE: At the Parksville 2019 Symposium, Tim Ennis elaborates on precedent-setting nature of “Kus-kus-sum Restoration on the Courtenay River – Transforming a Decommissioned Sawmill Site into a Valuable Habitat Corridor”


    “The economic return to the community through this project will far outweigh the costs. For example, the restored site will have tremendous potential to absorb floodwaters and provide resiliency to buffer the effects of climate change from more frequent and severe rain storms, sea-level rise, and storm surge events. This will mitigate the flooding-related costs to Courtenay, which have been in the ballpark of $500,000 per event,” stated Tim Ennis.

    Read Article

    PRIMER ON ECOLOGICAL ACCOUNTING PROCESS: “The EAP methodology yields an asset value for the stream corridor. This value can then be used for budget purposes related to asset management,” stated Tim Pringle (Beyond the Guidebook Primer Series; released January 2019)


    “The concept of natural capital and natural assets can be a challenge to integrate effectively into asset management practices. EAP deals with a basic question: what is a creekshed WORTH, now and in future, to the community and various intervenors? The EAP demonstration application process has been a fruitful journey for the project team and collaborators. Along the way, our collective thinking evolved. We broke new ground with EAP. Insights and understanding that we gained are shared in the Primer on the Ecological Accounting Process,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article

    AT METRO VANCOUVER REGIONAL UTILITIES COMMITTEE:”EAP provides a methodology to establish what it is worth to the community to invest in ongoing maintenance and management of small urban creeksheds,” stated Kim Stephens when he updated elected representatives about initiatives and successes flowing from inter-regional collaboration (Sept 2018)


    The support of the Metro Vancouver Utilities Committee has helped the Partnership for Water Sustainability be successful in carrying out its capacity-building mission. “On behalf of the committee, I invited Kim Stephens to provide us with an update on inter-regional collaboration through the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative,” stated Mayor Darrell Mussatto. The Partnership, UBCM and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs are collaborating to show how to integrate ‘natural assets’ into engineered asset management.

    Read Article

    REPORT ON: “Assessing the Worth of Ecological Services Using the Ecological Accounting Process for Watershed Assessment: Busy Place Creek (Sh-hwuykwselu) Demonstration Application in the Cowichan Valley” (released November 2018)


    Like many small creeksheds, Busy Place Creek (Sh-hwuykwselu) lies in more than one authority with jurisdiction. Its upland source and discharge to the Koksilah River are in Cowichan Tribes lands, including the Cowichan-Koksilah estuary, which it nourishes. There is an opportunity to interweave Indigenous knowledge and Western science in building a strong collaboration around hydrology. “Sh-hwuykwselu belongs in our lives,” stated Tim Kulchyski when he provided historical context from a Cowichan Tribes perspective.

    Read Article

    REPORT ON: “Assessing the Worth of Ecological Services Using the Ecological Accounting Process for Watershed Assessment: Brooklyn Creek Demonstration Application in the Comox Valley” (released September 2018)


    “The concept of natural capital and natural assets can be a challenge to integrate effectively into asset management practices,” stated Kim Stephens. “Local governments need ‘real numbers’ to deliver outcomes and support decision making. EAP – Ecological Accounting Process – deals with a basic question: what is a creekshed WORTH, now and in future, to the community and various intervenors? Selection of Brooklyn Creek as an ‘EAP Demonstration Application’ was made possible by the willingness of the Town of Comox to participate in a program funded by the governments of Canada and BC.”

    Read Article

    YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE TOWN OF COMOX COUNCIL MEETING: “The Town of Comox is a leader among municipalities in taking care of a ‘creekshed’ and enjoying a package of ecological services provided by it,” stated Tim Pringle when he debriefed Council about the Brooklyn Creek EAP Demonstration Application (Sept 2018)


    “This EAP demonstration application has endeavoured to establish what the Brooklyn Creekshed may be worth from the point of view of investments made in the lower catchment by the Town of Comox and other intervenors / managers. As well, this demonstration application of a systems approach provides context for identifying future opportunities to access more ecological services from the middle and upper catchments of the creekshed to serve human demands as well as the intrinsic needs of nature,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article

    YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE 2018 NANAIMO WATER STEWARDSHIP SYMPOSIUM: “By providing a value for the land underlying the stream and riparian zone, stakeholders have a much more realistic idea of the worth of the ecological services supplied by environmental assets,” stated Tim Pringle in his Look at Watersheds Differently presentation as part of the Building Blocks for Sustainable Watershed Systems Module (Apr 2018)


    “The worth of a creekshed is a package of ecological services made possible by the hydrology. EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, would help stakeholders / managers determine whether or not they should change practices and adopt new strategies regarding the ecological systems in the stream corridor, riparian zone and the entire watershed. EAP would contribute to a range of stakeholder interests and needs. Taking action would depend on what they think the creekshed is worth. The next step is doing. A strategy is the path to success, and becomes our primary interface with the world ,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article

    ASSESSING THE WORTH OF ECOLOGICAL SERVICES USING EAP FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT: “A vision for restorative development that revitalizes watershed function and health provided a philosophical backdrop for the Nanaimo Water Stewardship Symposium,” stated Kim Stephens (released April 2018)


    “Designed to foster a conversation about the transformational scope of the Sustainable Watershed Systems program, the Symposium provided a platform for a call for action because adapting to climate change requires transformation in how we value nature and service land. An informed stewardship sector can be a catalyst for action on Vancouver Island and beyond, through collaboration with local government. Tim Pringle shared demonstration application anecdotes about EAP, a whole-system view of watersheds that assesses hydrology in order to accurately describe ecological services,” stated Kim Stephens.

    Read Article

    AT THE BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP IN METRO VANCOUVER: “EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process is a unique approach; it accounts for the ecological services made possible by watershed hydrology,” stated Tim Pringle, EAP Chair, when he showcased early outcomes at the 5th in the Partnership’s Annual Water Sustainability Workshop Series (Nov 2017)


    “Initially, we saw EAP as a tool or ‘the protocol’ that would help practitioners calculate the opportunity cost of balancing ecological services with drainage infrastructure. However, our thinking has evolved over the past year. Testing the approach through demonstration applications resulted in this defining conclusion: EAP is a process, not a protocol. Thus, we are rebranding EAP. The term ‘process’ more accurately reflects the challenge of working with multiple stakeholders to assess the hydrology of a small watershed to accurately describe the ecological services made possible by the hydrology,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article