Developing and Implementing Natural Asset Management Strategies in the Salish Sea Region: Examples from Kitsap County, WA and Gibsons, BC
Presentation Abstract
Natural assets provide numerous benefits to residents of the Salish Sea region. Clean and abundant water, habitat for salmon, cultural value and sense of place, and other benefits depend on healthy ecosystems. However, the condition of the Salish Sea continues to decline due to climate change, conversion of valuable habitat, pollution, and other threats. How local governments develop and implement land use policy and infrastructure investments for a growing human population will have profound, long-term consequences for the Salish Sea ecosystem. Local governments rely on natural assets and ecosystems for many of the services they provide, such as drinking water and stormwater and wastewater management. Likewise, local governments bear a responsibility to uphold treaty rights and work in partnership with Tribes, First Nations, and others to recover ecosystems, including salmon populations and shellfish growing areas. Despite being critical to sustainable service delivery and ecosystem resilience, natural assets are often left out of or not adequately emphasized in comprehensive plans, capital facilities plans, and other plans that guide management of essential assets. Local governments need a clear and effective framework for managing natural assets and the multiple benefits they provide. Natural asset management is a promising approach for municipal, regional, Tribal, and First Nation governments to collaborate on strategies to assess, maintain, and improve the condition of natural assets through local investments and sound land use policies. This panel discussion will focus on natural asset management efforts in Kitsap County, Washington and Gibsons, British Columbia. Panelists from Kitsap County, the Suquamish Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, the Town of Gibsons, and Washington Environmental Council will provide diverse perspectives on how natural asset management supports their communities’ goals and priorities, their approaches for inventorying and assessing natural assets, and both the challenges and opportunities encountered in implementing natural asset management programs.
Session Title
Natural Asset Management (Panel)
Conference Track
SSE2: How We Protect the Salish Sea
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-panels-395
Start Date
28-4-2022 8:30 AM
End Date
28-4-2022 10:00 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Environmental management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Human ecology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Environmental conditions
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Developing and Implementing Natural Asset Management Strategies in the Salish Sea Region: Examples from Kitsap County, WA and Gibsons, BC
Natural assets provide numerous benefits to residents of the Salish Sea region. Clean and abundant water, habitat for salmon, cultural value and sense of place, and other benefits depend on healthy ecosystems. However, the condition of the Salish Sea continues to decline due to climate change, conversion of valuable habitat, pollution, and other threats. How local governments develop and implement land use policy and infrastructure investments for a growing human population will have profound, long-term consequences for the Salish Sea ecosystem. Local governments rely on natural assets and ecosystems for many of the services they provide, such as drinking water and stormwater and wastewater management. Likewise, local governments bear a responsibility to uphold treaty rights and work in partnership with Tribes, First Nations, and others to recover ecosystems, including salmon populations and shellfish growing areas. Despite being critical to sustainable service delivery and ecosystem resilience, natural assets are often left out of or not adequately emphasized in comprehensive plans, capital facilities plans, and other plans that guide management of essential assets. Local governments need a clear and effective framework for managing natural assets and the multiple benefits they provide. Natural asset management is a promising approach for municipal, regional, Tribal, and First Nation governments to collaborate on strategies to assess, maintain, and improve the condition of natural assets through local investments and sound land use policies. This panel discussion will focus on natural asset management efforts in Kitsap County, Washington and Gibsons, British Columbia. Panelists from Kitsap County, the Suquamish Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, the Town of Gibsons, and Washington Environmental Council will provide diverse perspectives on how natural asset management supports their communities’ goals and priorities, their approaches for inventorying and assessing natural assets, and both the challenges and opportunities encountered in implementing natural asset management programs.
