Advancing Municipal Natural Asset Management: The Town of Gibsons’ experience in financial planning & reporting was officially released by the Town of Gibsons in January 2018. This document, which was produced in partnership with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) team, shares Gibsons’ experience in developing a natural asset management strategy so that other local governments may refine and replicate their approach.
Audiences for the document may include any municipal staff with responsibility for managing municipal assets, municipal decision-makers and financial and accounting staff. As natural asset management strategies may also be adapted to any forum where managing natural assets would be beneficial, this document may also interest other organizations, such as managers in provincial or federal government, natural resource companies, universities, ports or airports.
Towards An Eco-Asset-Strategy in the Town of Gibsons documents the pioneering approach being undertaken by Gibsons to place nature, and the municipal services that nature provides, at the core of the town’s municipal infrastructure system. It was endorsed by Gibsons’ Committee-of-the-Whole in February 2015.
UBCM 2020 “Excellence in Asset Management” – Watch this 1:27 minute video and learn why the Town of Gibsons won the “Excellence in Asset Management” category of the 2020 UBCM Community Excellence Awards.
MNAI Land Awards Video, October 2018 – Learn more about natural asset management in about two minutes.
MUNICIPAL NATURAL ASSETS INITIATIVE (MNAI)
Are you interested in implementing a Natural Assets Strategy where you work? The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) team provides scientific, economic and municipal expertise to support and guide local governments in identifying, valuing and accounting for natural assets in their financial planning and asset management programs, and in developing leading-edge, sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure. Unlock the potential of your natural assets at mnai.ca.
MEDIA RESOURCES FEATURING THE TOWN OF GIBSONS AND MNAI
Due to their pioneering approach to natural asset management, The Town of Gibsons and MNAI has been featured across a broad range of local and national media. We have archived some of the articles, radio stories, reports and video links here.
2021
- 09-2021 David Suzuki Foundation blog post ‘Natural toolbox helps Gibsons and Pointe du Chene plan for coastal emergencies’
- 09-2021 MNAI Pilot Study: Managing Natural Assets to Increase Coastal Resilience
- 06-2021 Broadview: ‘The Beachcombers’ town is now famous for fighting climate change
- 03-2021 The Water Research Foundation – Asset Management Framework for Forested and Natural Assets – Final Report
- 01-21-2021 The Globe and Mail: It’s time to reveal the hidden value of Canada’s natural assets
2020
- 10-19-2020 e@UBCO Virtual Leadership Forum – Building Okanagan Flood Resiliency
- 09-28-2020 Living Architecture Monitor: Investment in Green Infrastructure Can Kick-Start the Economy
- 08-2020 Plan H: Healthy Natural Environments
- 09-21-2020 Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC (PWAC): Town of Gibsons Named Champion Supporter of the PWAC
- 06-23-2020 MNAI Blog: Coastal Municipalities Launch Project to Address Rising Sea Levels
- 06-17-2020 The Conversation: How Investing in Green Infrastructure Can Jump Start the Post-Coronavirus Economy
2019
- 08-12-2019 One Herald: Heaven or Hell – BC Communities Plan for Uncertain Climate Future
- 03-05-2019 Public Sector Digest: Beyond Cost Reduction: How Natural Asset Management is Helping the Town of Gibsons Prepare for Climate Change
2018
- 11-05-2018 The Province: It’s Time to Place a Real Value on Nature In Canada’s Accounting Framework
- 10-26-2018 The Tyee: New Model Helps Cities Value Natural Assets
- 10-16-2018 Town of Gibsons Press Release: MNAI Wins Prestigious “Land Award”
- 09-18-2018 IBC Wetlands Report: Combatting Canada’s Rising Flood Costs
- 05-2018 APWA Reporter: Gaining A Natural Advantage in Municipal Service Delivery APWA
2017
- 09-20-2017 Ecofiscal Commission Report: Only the Pipes Should Be Hidden
- 09-2017 Municipal Natural Asset Initiative: Defining and Scoping Municipal Natural Assets
- 07-24-2017 GGKP Conference Submission: Municipal Natural Asset Management As A Sustainable Infrastructure Strategy – The Emerging Evidence
2016
- 09-29-2016 Showcasing the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative at UBCM: A Focus on the Town of Gibsons
- 08-01-2016 Municipal World: Putting a Value on Nature’s Services
- 2016-05-08 Radio Canada: Cities Urged to Take Natural Assets into Account
- 2016-05-04 The Globe and Mail: That Wetland Isn’t Just Pretty – It’s Quantifiable Infrastructure
- 2016-02-01 Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC: What the Town of Gibsons’ CAO Learned at the 2015 World Forum on Natural Capital
- 2016-02-01 Govt Finance Officers Assn Newsletter – Natural Capital
- 2016 Winter Issue – Asset Management BC Newsletter – Eco Strategies: Why We Need to Integrate Natural Capital into Asset Management
2015
- 2015-12-04 Business in Vancouver: Traditional Infrastructure Funding Throws Money Down the Sewer
- Winter 2015 Public Sector Digest – Nature’s Role in Achieving Sustainable Municipal Service Delivery
- 2015-11-18 Huffington Post: Natural Infrastructure Is Good For The Climate And Communities
- 2015-09-11 Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC: Incorporating Natural Capital in Infrastructure Management: Gibson’s Eco-Asset Strategy
- 2015-09-04 World Forum on Natural Capital: Bringing Nature into the DNA of Decision-Making to Build Resilient Communities
- July 2015 Asset Management Newsletter: Let’s Talk About Asset Management and Climate Change
- 2015-04-16 Triple Pundit: Moving Natural Assets from the Drawing Board to the Board Room
- 2015-03-05 iPolitics: A B.C. Town Puts A Green Spin on Infrastructure
- 2015-02-12 Coast Reporter: Putting a Price on Nature: Gibsons’ Eco-Assets Strategy
2012 – 2014
- 2014-07-15 Groundwater Canada: Water Aware
- 2014-03 Sustainable Prosperity: The Importance of Natural Capital in Canada
- 2013-07-05 Coast Reporter: Aquifer-Gets-International-Attention
- Fall 2012 – Groundwater Canada: Proactive Prevention – Taking Steps to Maintain a Pristine Aquifer
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Published February 2021: The Economics of Diversity: The Dasgupta Review. This comprehensive, detailed and immensely important report is grounded in the understanding that bringing our ecosystems back to health will take collaborative action by every nation on earth, and international agreements to change our ways. It explains how we have come to create these vast ecological problems and the actions we must take to solve them. It then provides a map for navigating a path towards the restoration of our planet’s biodiversity.
Released September 13, 2019: Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership On Climate Resilience. Designed to inspire among decision-makers, this report focuses on making the case for climate adaptation, providing insights and recommendations in key sectors.
Value of Nature to Canadians Study Taskforce: Completing and Using Ecosystem Service Assessment for Decision-Making
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) (2012)
RELATED VIDEOS
Pavan Sukhdev at TED Global 2011 – Put a Value on Nature!
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature’s banker — assessing the value of the Earth’s assets. Eye-opening charts will make you think differently about the cost of air, water, trees …
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