EAP TRANSITION STRATEGY PARTNERSHIP: “There are lots of partnerships that exist for selfish reasons. But the EAP Partnership is selfless; and from all angles. The strategy ensures that knowledge is retained at an institutional level, that is, Vancouver Island University,” stated Graham Sakaki, Manager of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute
Note to Reader:
Supported financially by the Union of BC Municipalities, three Vancouver Island local governments are founding members of the EAP Partnership which also includes the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI), Vancouver Island University and the Partnership for Water Sustainability.
The vision is that the partnership will evolve into an EAP centre-of-excellence at VIU. In 2022, the partners committed to a 3-year transition strategy to embed EAP in MABRRI by doing three EAP projects each per year. This unique partnership is pioneering a pragmatic path forward for Natural Asset Management within the local government setting.
Affordable, effective and pragmatic Natural Asset Management
“A theme dominating the news these days is the shortage of skilled, trained or qualified people. Investing in people takes patience, commitment and time. There is no shortcut to build in-house capacity,” wrote Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, in the Summer 2023 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter.
The article is an interview with Graham Sakaki of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Research Institute (MABRRI) at Vancouver Island University. The Partnership is handing the baton to MABRRI to be the home for the Ecological Accounting Process (EAP).
“The City of Nanaimo, Municipality of North Cowichan, and Regional District of Nanaimo have taken the leap of faith to invest in youth at Vancouver Island University. The mission is to develop next generations of local government staffs so that they have the knowledge and understanding to apply EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process to land use processes.”
“And the Partnership for Water Sustainability is passing the EAP baton to the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Research Institute (MABRRI) at Vancouver Island University to be the knowledge keeper. EAP will be embedded in MABRRI.”
Story behind the story
“The story behind the story is about the importance of embedding knowledge of EAP into the youth who are going to be the future of our local governments. The framework that we have set up ensures this will happen,” stated Graham Sakaki, MABRRI Manager.
“There are lots of partnerships that exist for selfish reasons. But the EAP Partnership is selfless, and from all angles. It is a leap of faith for member local governments. Partnership for Water Sustainability commitment to passing the baton is unwavering.”
To Learn More:
To read the complete article, download the Summer 2023 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter.
