YOUTUBE VIDEO: “The worth of a creekshed is a package of ecological services made possible by the hydrology,” stated Tim Pringle, Chair, Ecological Accounting Process (EAP), when he shared what has been learned from two Vancouver Island demonstration applications
Note to Reader:
EAP, the acronym for Ecological Accounting Process, is one of three streams of deliverables flowing from Sustainable Watershed System, through Asset Management. Funded by the governments of Canada and British Columbia, this initiative is led by the Partnership for Water Sustainability.
The EAP approach is being demonstrated through two case study applications on Vancouver Island – one in the Cowichan Valley (Busy Place Creek) and the other in the Comox Valley (Brooklyn Creek).
At the Nanaimo Water Stewardship Symposium in April 2018, EAP Chair Tim Pringle distilled what has been learned from the EAP case studies. 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.
Ecological Accounting Process: Core Messages
EAP examines the investment of resources already made by many stakeholders, as well as their aspirations concerning the management (prevention of degradation to and work on enhancement) of ecological services in small watersheds (defined as ‘creeksheds’).
What We Have Learned
“The worth of a creekshed is a package of ecological services made possible by the hydrology,” emphasized Tim Pringle.
“These inter-dependent ecological systems provide uses we call nature; examples are wetlands, ponds, riparian areas, woodlands, habitat for flora and fauna, etc. These systems add appeal and quality to parks, greenways, trails, as well as opportunities to focus on natural processes such as salmon spawning and nesting sites.
“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.
“This form of financial information can be used for asset management strategies related to Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework. This guidance document sets a strategic direction that refocuses local government business processes on outcomes that reduce life-cycle costs and risks.”
What Next
“The next step is doing. A strategy is the path to success, and becomes our primary interface with the world. Find the leadership and opportunity within a creekshed to adopt a strategy, devise an implementation plan, and confirm the worth of undertaking enhancement and management,” confirms Tim Pringle.
To Learn More:
Download a copy of Assessing the Worth of Ecological Services Using the Ecological Accounting Process (EAP) for Watershed Assessment, released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC at the Nanaimo Symposium.
