Natural Capital Assessment
The Practitioner’s Dilemma – Why Hasn’t
it Caught on in Ontario?
With Your Hosts…
Natalie Leava &
Vince Deschamps
2014 AD Latornell Symposium
November 20, 2014
What’s on the Agenda?
1 What is Natural Capital?
2 How can we assess Natural Capital (NCA)?
3 How have we used Natural Capital already?
4 Why hasn’t Natural Capital caught on in Ontario?
5 How can we make this a reality?
1. What is Natural Capital?
Who are you, Natural Capital?
Natural Capital is the stock of natural resources
and environmental assets, such as forests, rivers
and wetlands that exist in a
region at a given point in time.
Natural Capital Assessment
is an evaluation process
that assigns value to these
natural resources and
assets.
1. What is Natural Capital?
What does Natural Capital include?
A variety of components related to the natural world
• Non-renewable (commodities)
and renewable resources
• Ecological components
and economic
contributions
• Societal values
1. What is Natural Capital?
What can we measure?
water filtration &
supply
Natural Capital stock yields a
flow of ecological services
• The list can be infinite…
natural resources
disturbance regulation
“country foods”
carbon sequestration
oil, and other nonrenewables
1. What is Natural Capital?
Different Interpretations
Beware the minutiae
• Potentially unlimited number of components
• Components must have meaning to you
(community)
• Depends on the
situation
The essentials
• Ecology
• Economics
• Societal values
2. How can we assess Natural Capital?
Why are you so complicated?
Natural Capital Assessment (NCA)
• Assigns value to Natural Capital assets and the
ecological services they provide
• A balancing act between
ecology, economics and
social values
• Which components to
choose to evaluate?
• Assessment must be defined spatially and temporally
2. How can we assess Natural Capital?
Where are the roadblocks?
• A recent and evolving
discipline
• Who determines value?
• Economics and Ecology are
different languages
How does Natural Capital
benefit me?
• Reflects community values
and ties to the natural world
• Holistic approach – bridges
ecology & economics
• Each site is unique – making
every NCA unique
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
Attawapiskat First Nation - Ontario
Community Based Land Use Plan
• First external consultant to prepare CBLUP
• Land Use Strategy
• Cultural, ecological and
economic inventory
• Purpose of CBLUP is to
assign value to traditional
territory
• Developable lands
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
Attawapiskat FN – Community Based Land Use Plan
How does it relate to Natural Capital?
• Stantec will use NC to assign value founded on ecological
principles
• Traditional livelihoods
• Cost-benefit analysis for proposed development
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
Attawapiskat CBLUP … continued…
How will Natural Capital be incorporated?
•
Value component approach
•
Working with community and Stake Holders
(MNRF) for topics to include
What about other sectors?
Relates to mining, infrastructure
development, renewable energies …
the list goes on…
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
How do we assign value?
Market or Service based
• Replacement value of feature or function
Paired with traditional ecological and
environmental assessment
• A means to quantify potential impacts
Results?
• A more holistic determination of the value of:
• natural capital assets
• ecosystem services
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
Projects with Profit and Non-profit Organizations
Successful applications of NCA in
Ontario
• Nature Conservancy of Canada
• First Nations
• TK studies
• CBLUPs
• Conservation
Authorities
• PECAs for highway
development
3. How have we used Natural Capital already?
Projects with Profit and Non-profit Organizations
The future
• Compliment traditional EA approaches
• Development
scenarios for
extraction industries
• Not strictly an
economic
assessment
4. Why hasn’t Natural Capital caught on in Ontario?
Natural Capital has gone Global!
How has Natural Capital been applied in other
countries?
• Recognized in World Bank and IFC standards
• Implemented in international protocol and
agreements
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
4. Why hasn’t Natural Capital caught on in Ontario?
Ontario – a land of opportunity
Natural Capital – Challenges?
• No legislation or provincial requirements
• Lack of common understanding and
standardized approaches
• Natural Capital is not hard science (yet)
• Collective solution required
5. How can we make this a reality?
Moving forward in Ontario…
How can we make this happen?
A common definition for Natural Capital
A standardized approach to NCA
• Strategic and site-level NCA
• Integral relationship with GIS
Communication is the key
• Community engagement
• Interests on a local and provincial scale
Questions?
There are always lots of questions when it
comes to Natural Capital
Natalie Leava, M.Sc.
[email protected]
The good news … we have to work
together to find the answers
Vince Deschamps, M.Sc., MCIP, RPP
[email protected]