Rainwater Management

RESTORING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ECOSYSTEMS AND WITH EACH OTHER: “The point is not to write the book and say, yay that’s it. What’s next? We’re trying to promote the book because it starts the conversation about Nature-Directed Stewardship to build that connectivity back to nature,” stated Sean Markey, university professor and co-author of Nature-First Cities

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 February 18, 2025 featured a conversational interview with co-authors Dr. Sean Markey and Herb Hammond about their vision for Nature-First Cities.

The book is intended to inspire government and community-based action by illustrating how cities can co-exist with nature. To that end, the book introduces a guiding philosophy and methodology the authors have framed as Nature-Directed Stewardship.

Nature-First Cities: restoring relationships with ecosystems and with each other

“The origin story started about a decade ago when Cam Brewer and I worked on a report documenting the value of nature in cities,” states Sean Markey. professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University.

“What are the costs associated with having cities that are not nature-based? What are the benefits if we invite nature back into our cities?”

“That was a fairly standard survey of the literature and report writing. But we met afterwards and the conversation quickly turned to what would it take to actually do this? What would a strategy look like?”

“And that led us into a conversation where we concluded that it would be pretty fascinating to work with Herb Hammond. So, we invited Herb down into an urban watershed for the purpose of exploring what happens when we apply the principles and practices of ecosystem-based conservation planning.”

Case study applications of ecosystem-based approach

“The book contains two case studies. Still Creek in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby is intensely urban. Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island is on the urban-rural fringe. The difference between the two is the extent and amount of green space that is available to work with, and with different growth pressures.”

“In both cases, we are looking at watershed scale planning. Not just greening strategies. Not just creek restoration. But watershed-scale planning. Herb did the research and analysis to put together Nature-Directed Stewardship plans for both areas.”

**To delve into the details of Nature-Directed Stewardship, watch the video of Sean Markey**

To Learn More:

To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Nature-First Cities – restoring relationships with ecosystems and with each other.