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.

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