Outcomes and Recommendations for a Resilient Future

The 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.