DEMONSTRATION APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL ACCOUNTING PROCESS: Saratoga Miracle Beach in the Comox Valley Regional District, completed in 2022
NOTE TO READER:
EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, is a pragmatic ‘made in BC’ approach to valuation of the ecological services supplied by a stream (one of our most common ecological systems). Think of it as a decision support tool for use by the community and local government.
EAP addresses this question: How do communities decide how much to invest in the natural commons? The EAP methodology and metrics enable a local government to determine the WORTH of the natural commons, with ‘worth’ being the foundation for an annual budget for maintenance and maintenance of ecological assets.
How EAP supports the planning process
“Saratoga Miracle Beach is one of three electoral area settlement nodes identified in the CVRD Regional Growth Strategy. During planning work undertaken in 2018, the importance of preserving and enhancing the natural function of the drainage systems in the area was identified. The EAP Project builds on that body of work,” stated Darry Monteith, Manager of Liquid Waste Planning with the Comox Valley Regional District.
“The EAP process has highlighted for us the impacts of the land development process on water assets in the Saratoga Beach area and has provided metrics for us to help establish the ‘worth’ of these assets and the ecological services that they provide.”
“EAP findings will be valuable as we continue to develop a framework for protection of these natural assets and to assist in communicating the value of natural assets to the community.”
To Learn More:
Download and read a copy of the entire Synthesis Report on EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, A B.C. Strategy for Community Investment in Stream Systems (2022), the 4th in the Beyond the Guidebook series of guidance documents.
Or, cut to the chase and read the 2-page extract titled Stage 3 (Mainstream) – Saratoga Miracle Beach in the Comox Valley Regional District.
The Synthesis Report is a distillation of over 1000 pages of case study documentation into a storyline that is conversational and written for a continuum of audiences that includes land use practitioners, asset managers, stream stewards, and local government decision-makers.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/EAP-Synthesis-Report-Beyond-the-Guidebook-2022_Jun-2022.pdf