SCIENCE, WATERSHED-BASED DRAINAGE PLANNING AND EAP, THE ECOLOGICAL ACCOUNTING PROCESS – “EAP is thinking about more purposefully managing creeks and ponds that are integrated into our stormwater drainage infrastructure,” stated Dr. Dave Preikshot, Senior Environmental Specialist with the Municipality of North Cowichan
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision.
The edition published on October 10, 2023 featured extracts from a conversational interview with Dr. Dave Preikshot, Senior Environmental Specialist with the Municipality of North Cowichan on Vancouver Island. Dave Preikshot collaborated with the legendary Daniel Pauly on fisheries research projects at the University of BC from 1995 through 2007.
Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series
Posted below is an excerpt .To download the complete story as a PDF document, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Why aquatic scientists look at things in an integrative way.
DOWNLOAD: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/10/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Dave-Preikshot-on-Shifting-Baseline-Syndrome_2023.pdf
Communities can develop natural assets as a way to address the Riparian Deficit
“The Ecological Accounting Process has a very practical application. MNC is very limited in its ability to manage agricultural land. What we are really seeking to achieve (through our involvement in the EAP Partnership) is an understanding of what policy options are available to us to work with the farming community,” explains Dave Preikshot.
“MNC is assessing ways to work with the farming community to implement riparian management changes because you really need to think in terms of the whole-system ecosystem. The stream corridor is part of a bigger story, and it is integrating that into a bigger story.”
Look beyond the stream corridor
“We are also working on the biodiversity protection policy. And our approach to developing the policy is in two steps – first, identify our assets; and secondly, what do we need to do to protect and/or restore those assets.”
“Beyond just maintaining natural assets for protecting nature and the intrinsic value that nature has, (we are looking at) what components of the natural environment are assets to the community – just like our infrastructure; and how do we manage those natural assets.”
“EAP is thinking about more purposefully managing creeks and ponds that are integrated into our stormwater drainage infrastructure. It is thinking about how does the integrated and whole aquatic environment in MNC work.”
“The Richards Creek EAP Project is tied in with that because of how it integrates to that whole watershed and municipal drainage story.”
