Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project
Pelham's Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP)
With $67,377 in funding support from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Town of Pelham will begin the development of a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP) to be included as part of the Town's Asset Management Strategy. The natural asset survey will focus on Greenbelt areas within Pelham, providing a guide for the Town of Pelham to value and account for natural assets in both financial planning and asset management programs.
Natural infrastructure provides cost-effective and sustainable solutions to address climate change impacts and maintain community services.
The investment from the Greenbelt Foundation for this project will assist Pelham in protecting, restoring, and maintaining ecological connectivity and biodiversity across the municipality and the Greenbelt.
Other project outcomes include:
- Establishing a policy basis for the integration and management of natural assets into the Town's asset management program
- Support of evidence-based planning for future infrastructure needs
- Evaluation and determination of the condition of the natural high-risk assets, their value and lifecycle costs for the management of the asset
- Prioritizing restoration of assets, and a basis for the robust ongoing maintenance and monitoring of these assets
- Providing a holistic, evidence-based review that will secure core local government services, including stormwater management/flood risk reduction, erosion control and long-term co-benefits, such as nature-based recreation and climate change mitigation
The Town will complete this project with project support from the Natural Asset Initiative (NAI), a non-profit organization that helped define and pioneer natural assets management. This approach aids local governments in understanding, accounting for, and ultimately protecting, restoring and managing nature as a vital asset.
Since 2005, the Greenbelt Foundation has funded and leveraged more than $100 million through investment in its interconnected natural, agricultural, and economic systems to ensure a working, thriving Greenbelt for all. Supported by Greenbelt Foundation investment and stewardship, Ontario's Greenbelt contributes $9.6 billion annually to Ontario's GDP, supports 177,700 full-time or full-time equivalent jobs, and provides Ontario communities with $3.2 billion worth of ecosystem services each year.
Residents can follow the project and updates by selecting the "subscribe" icon.
Pelham's Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP)
With $67,377 in funding support from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Town of Pelham will begin the development of a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP) to be included as part of the Town's Asset Management Strategy. The natural asset survey will focus on Greenbelt areas within Pelham, providing a guide for the Town of Pelham to value and account for natural assets in both financial planning and asset management programs.
Natural infrastructure provides cost-effective and sustainable solutions to address climate change impacts and maintain community services.
The investment from the Greenbelt Foundation for this project will assist Pelham in protecting, restoring, and maintaining ecological connectivity and biodiversity across the municipality and the Greenbelt.
Other project outcomes include:
- Establishing a policy basis for the integration and management of natural assets into the Town's asset management program
- Support of evidence-based planning for future infrastructure needs
- Evaluation and determination of the condition of the natural high-risk assets, their value and lifecycle costs for the management of the asset
- Prioritizing restoration of assets, and a basis for the robust ongoing maintenance and monitoring of these assets
- Providing a holistic, evidence-based review that will secure core local government services, including stormwater management/flood risk reduction, erosion control and long-term co-benefits, such as nature-based recreation and climate change mitigation
The Town will complete this project with project support from the Natural Asset Initiative (NAI), a non-profit organization that helped define and pioneer natural assets management. This approach aids local governments in understanding, accounting for, and ultimately protecting, restoring and managing nature as a vital asset.
Since 2005, the Greenbelt Foundation has funded and leveraged more than $100 million through investment in its interconnected natural, agricultural, and economic systems to ensure a working, thriving Greenbelt for all. Supported by Greenbelt Foundation investment and stewardship, Ontario's Greenbelt contributes $9.6 billion annually to Ontario's GDP, supports 177,700 full-time or full-time equivalent jobs, and provides Ontario communities with $3.2 billion worth of ecosystem services each year.
Residents can follow the project and updates by selecting the "subscribe" icon.
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Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future
Share Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future on Facebook Share Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future on Twitter Share Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future on Linkedin Email Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future linkThe Town of Pelham has completed the Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP), a project designed to better understand, evaluate, and manage the Town’s natural assets. Supported by a grant from the Greenbelt Foundation and in partnership with the Natural Asset Initiative, this project represents a proactive step toward protecting the ecosystems that provide essential services to our community.
As part of the MNAMP, the project team:
• Identified and inventoried over 4000 natural assets, including forests, wetlands, and other green infrastructure.
• Assessed the current condition of these assets and the services they provide, such as flood mitigation and biodiversity support.
• Estimated the value of these natural assets to be roughly $600,000,000 in stormwater management services as well as other environmental and community benefits.The project results have allowed the Town to understand not only the current state of its natural assets, but also the actions needed to protect, enhance, and sustain them over time. The insights gained have informed a set of key recommendations to guide the Town’s future efforts in managing its natural assets. Broadly, this includes:
1. Protecting What You Can
Preserving our existing ecosystems is the most effective way to sustain the environmental and community benefits provided by natural assets.
2. Make Evidence-Based Decisions to Manage Natural Assets
The insights gained from this project, along with other existing data, will help us make informed decisions about protecting the natural assets on which the community relies.
3. Build Awareness and Partnerships
Collaborative partnerships and building awareness of the benefits of natural assets is necessary to generate support and implement effective natural asset management strategies.Explore Pelham’s Natural Assets
We are excited to share an interactive online dashboard showcasing the full inventory of natural assets identified through this project, along with their current condition assessments. This tool allows you to explore the value and health of Pelham’s forests, wetlands, and other natural features in detail.Click on the link to follow the online dashboard, http://go.greenanalytics.ca/pelham
By exploring this resource and supporting these recommendations, we can work together to protect and enhance Pelham’s natural heritage for generations to come.
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Council Presentation November 6, 2024
Share Council Presentation November 6, 2024 on Facebook Share Council Presentation November 6, 2024 on Twitter Share Council Presentation November 6, 2024 on Linkedin Email Council Presentation November 6, 2024 linkPelham-Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project
Council received a presentation from Samantha Witkowski, Environmental Coordinator at the Town of Pelham, regarding the Pelham-Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project. Work on the project began in 2023 with the support of a grant to identify, measure and value natural assets in Pelham. The project scope included the municipality of the Town of Pelham as well as the upper 12-mile creek watershed. A total of 4,428 individual assets were identified within the project.
The presentation slides, as well as the accompanying staff report, can be viewed in full in the resource section of this page.
View the presentation, which begins at the 42:22 mark in the video below.
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Read the Pelham Greenbelt Report
Share Read the Pelham Greenbelt Report on Facebook Share Read the Pelham Greenbelt Report on Twitter Share Read the Pelham Greenbelt Report on Linkedin Email Read the Pelham Greenbelt Report linkThe Town of Pelham, Ontario, with support from the Greenbelt Foundation, partnered with the Natural Assets Initiative (NAI), a Canadian non-governmental organization on the Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project. The goal of this project is to ensure that natural assets in the Town of Pelham, and particularly those that overlap with Ontario’s Greenbelt, are identified, measured, valued, and ultimately managed to protect their integrity, thereby ensuring a reliable flow of core services and diverse co-benefits across the municipality and the Greenbelt.
Read the full technical report.
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Submit your comments: Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project
Share Submit your comments: Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project on Facebook Share Submit your comments: Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project on Twitter Share Submit your comments: Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project on Linkedin Email Submit your comments: Pelham Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project linkWith $67,377 in funding support from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Town of Pelham is in the process of a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan (MNAMP) to be included as part of the Town's Asset Management Strategy.
The natural asset management project focuses on Greenbelt areas within Pelham, providing a guide for the Town of Pelham to value and account for natural assets in both financial planning and asset management programs. The Town completed this project with support from the Natural Assets Initiative (NAI), and the report is now publicly available.
We invite those interested to submit their feedback on the project report & findings for consideration as Pelham takes steps to develop their MNAMP.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Natural Asset Management Plans
Share Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Natural Asset Management Plans on Facebook Share Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Natural Asset Management Plans on Twitter Share Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Natural Asset Management Plans on Linkedin Email Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Natural Asset Management Plans linkLearn more about Natural Asset Management Plans with the following general FAQs provided by Natural Assets Initiative.
What is natural asset management?
Asset management is the process of inventorying a community’s existing assets, determining the current state of those assets, and preparing and implementing a plan to maintain or replace those assets, which allows municipalities to make informed decisions regarding a community’s assets and finances.
Natural asset management refers to the process of understanding, accounting, and employing regenerative approaches for natural resources or ecosystems (i.e., “natural assets”) that contribute to the provision of services required for the health, well-being, and long-term sustainability of a community and its residents.
By understanding the value of their natural assets, local governments like the Town of Pelham can make more cost-effective, sustainable decisions related to future development, infrastructure, biodiversity, and climate change adaptation plans.
What are some examples of natural assets, and what services do they provide?
Natural assets are part of the broader category of green infrastructure and include things like wetlands, forests, soil, and rivers that provide benefits. These benefits (often called “ecosystem services”) can include core benefits a city or town relies on, like flood mitigation or clean drinking water, and co-benefits like health and wellness or carbon storage.
- For example, some wetland plants help filter pollutants, providing a community with cleaner water than if that wetland didn’t exist.
- Healthy marshes and creeks can help reduce flooding and manage stormwater because they are able to absorb some of the excess water during spring melts or heavy rain, and shoreline vegetation can minimize potential erosion by acting as a buffer between the water and the shore.
- Intact forests and trees can provide clean oxygen, support habitat for native animal and plant species, and offer opportunities for outdoor recreation activities like hiking, mountain biking, and birdwatching.
Examples of natural assets:
- Wetlands, marshes & swamps
- Forests
- Lakes, rivers & creeks
- Fields & meadows
- Beaches & shorelines
Examples of services provided by natural assets:
- Stormwater management
- Flood control
- Water & wastewater treatment
- Climate change mitigation
- Carbon storage
- Indigenous cultural & historical values
- Recreation & Tourism
- Biodiversity & habitat preservation
- Health
Why should we value natural assets?
- Local governments across Canada are faced with significant infrastructure challenges. Many of the services cities need to provide—including water and wastewater, waste removal, transportation, and environmental services—depend, in large part, on older infrastructure assets that need to be repaired or rebuilt. Meanwhile, the effects of climate change are expected to put even more strain on these assets and local government budgets.
- Our communities are facing growing risks from hazards such as flash floods, heat domes, forest fires, and rising sea levels. At the same time, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities indicates that ⅓ of infrastructure is already in very poor to only fair condition. Communities simply do not have the resources to build their way out of this urgent infrastructure crisis in the face of a changing climate. About 60% of public infrastructure is owned by local governments, which means they have the power to make significant changes — communities can take charge of managing their natural assets and fulfill responsibilities to provide core services such as water filtration, stormwater management and protection from flooding in adaptable, climate-resilient, and cost-effective ways.
- Think of it this way: nature is infrastructure that is already built, providing services you already use. And unlike a levee or pipe, natural assets are alive can be self-sustaining, lessening replacement or repair costs on communities. With effective monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation now, nature can add value for decades in ways that many engineered assets (like storm drains) cannot match.
- Municipalities have the most control over their own assets. What’s more, natural assets require management at a local level, so while progress is being made policy and economic levels, the biggest impacts to your municipality’s budget, climate resilience, and sustained services are determined by what you do today.
- Local governments are finding that natural assets are resilient and adaptable to climate change. With effective monitoring, maintenance and rehabilitation now, natural assets can provide service and add value for decades in ways that many engineered assets cannot match.
How do we value natural assets?
Natural asset management is not about determining a “price” for nature because nature is invaluable to our communities, our culture and our planet. Natural asset management values natural assets for the services they provide in a local government context, making it easier to compare opportunities and costs against traditional assets and infrastructure decisions. There are a few ways to determine an estimated dollar value for services gained from natural assets, but a common method is by figuring out what the building and maintenance costs would be if a local government had to supply those services themselves; this is known as “replacement cost.”
Natural asset management also recognizes other types of benefits that cannot be measured by a dollar value, such as traditional Indigenous significance and mental health benefits.
Want to learn more? Natural asset management in the news:
https://www.tvo.org/article/the-grindstone-creek-watershed-provides-2-billion-in-services-how
https://oshawaexpress.ca/oshawa-creek-worth-400-million-study/
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/pricing-nature-climate-change-1.6646588
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Town of Pelham receives $67,377 to support Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan
Share Town of Pelham receives $67,377 to support Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan on Facebook Share Town of Pelham receives $67,377 to support Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan on Twitter Share Town of Pelham receives $67,377 to support Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan on Linkedin Email Town of Pelham receives $67,377 to support Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan linkThe Town of Pelham will begin developing a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan following a Greenbelt area analysis with $63,377 in support from the Greenbelt Foundation's Resilient Greenbelt program.
The Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan project will identify natural assets in Pelham's Greenbelt area. Once identified, Pelham will be able to move forward with protecting and managing these sites in a holistic, evidence-based manner as part of the Town's asset management plans.
"This funding will allow the Town to develop the guide to ensure that natural assets within the Greenbelt area of Pelham are valued and included in financial planning and asset management programs," explained Town of Pelham Director of Community Planning and Development Barbara Wiens. "Once identified, the presence of these natural assets will also inform planning and land-use decisions to align with the goals of protection, restoration and maintenance of ecological connectivity and biodiversity for Pelham and the Greenbelt."
Once completed, the Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan will be included in the Town's asset management program and support strategic priorities identified in the Town of Pelham strategic plan. The strategic plan included Environmental and Climate Adaptation as an area of emphasis to protect and conserve the natural resources in Pelham and continue to provide the foundation for a clean, safe and sustainable environment for present and future generations.
“We look forward to the outcome of this work, which will have an important impact on the Town of Pelham’s understanding of how best to maximize the benefits provided by natural assets,” said Ed McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Foundation. “Working with municipal partners to identify, restore and properly value natural assets is one more step we can take together to create climate resilient communities.”
Since 2005, the Greenbelt Foundation has funded and leveraged more than $100 million through investment in its interconnected natural, agricultural, and economic systems to ensure a working, thriving Greenbelt for all. Supported by Greenbelt Foundation investment and stewardship, Ontario's Greenbelt contributes $9.6 billion annually to Ontario's GDP and provides Ontario communities with $3.2 billion worth of ecosystem services annually.
Council Presentation November 6, 2024
- The Pelham-Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project.pdf (1.33 MB) (pdf)
- Pelham-Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project .pdf (590 KB) (pdf)
- Appendix A – The Pelham – Greenbelt Natural Asset Management Project Technical Report.pdf (3.48 MB) (pdf)
- Appendix B - Pelham Advocates for Trees and Habitats’ Review of Town of Pelham Natural Asset Management Project.pdf (90 KB) (pdf)
Comments & Feedback
Pelham Greenbelt Technical Report
MNAMP Project Timeline
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Need for Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Identified
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageTown staff identify the need for implementation of a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan.
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Town of Pelham submits a Letter of Intent to the Greenbelt Foundation
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageThe Town of Pelham submits a letter of intent (LOI) in September of 2022, for review by the Greenbelt Foundation as part of the application process for the fall 2022 round of grant applications.
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Letter of Intent is received and the Town is approved to move to full application submission stage.
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageThe Greenbelt Foundation received and approved the project detailed in the letter of intent by the Town of Pelham. The Town is invited to submit a completed application for consideration for the fall grant funding.
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Town of Pelham submits Grant application
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageThe Town of Pelham prepares and submits a grant application to the Greenbelt Foundation for support for the Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan project for Pelham in October 2022.
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2023 Capital Budget includes Project PLN 02-23
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stagePart of the 2023 Capital Budget includes project number #PLN 02-23 to provide for the creation of the Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan to support climate change and resiliency in the community.
The Town of Pelham Council approves the project, pending grant support. The project is "red-circled."
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Town of Pelham receives grant funding
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageThe Town of Pelham received notification that it had received a grant from the Greenbelt Foundation, providing $67,377 to support the creation of a Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan.
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Natural Asset Initiative to assist with plan development
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageThe Town of Pelham partners with Natural Asset Initiative to develop the Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan.
Natural Asset Initiative is a non-profit organization that helped define and pioneer natural assets management - an approach that aids local governments in understanding, accounting for, and ultimately protecting, restoring and managing nature as a vital asset.
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Plan Development Begins: Natural asset overview
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageDevelop an overview of the current and future potential ecosystem services (stormwater management, erosion control, etc.) contribution of those natural assets and values of these services.
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Plan Development Expands: Establish Levels of service
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageDevelop desired levels of services from natural assets and corresponding performance indicators.
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Plan Development Long-term: Identify Services and Options
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageIdentify and develop potential strategy, policy, management, planning and other options to secure these services long-term through natural asset management.
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Plan Development: Evidence-based Investment Planning
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageIdentify and, where possible, begin to develop mechanisms for evidence-based investment, planning and land-use decisions that protect the integrity of the natural assets consistent with project goals.
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Draft Plan is prepared
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project has finished this stageA draft of the proposed Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan is completed.
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Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan is Complete.
Municipal Natural Asset Management Plan Project is currently at this stageThe anticipated completion date will be in June 2024. At that time, the plan will be made available for review.
Who's Listening
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Phone 905-980-6661 Email slarocque@pelham.ca -
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