Natural capital in British Columbia's lower mainland

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December 2010


We all understand the concept of financial capital – we pay for things we find valuable.

Natural capital extends that concept to ecosystems (like forests, fields, wetlands, lakes and rivers) and the flow of goods and services they provide.

So what is natural capital?


Ecosystem services are all the things that nature does for us.

From food to fresh water, clean air, medicines and safe places to live, our quality of live depends on them.

What are ecosystem services?


• Filtering pollution out of our air and water

• Absorbing and storing water during storms and floods

• Cooling cities by absorbing heat and providing shade

Examples of ecosystem services


• Regulating the climate by storing carbon in vegetation and soils

• Providing habitat for plants and animals

• Local food production• Recreation and tourism

Examples of ecosystem services


• The services and benefits nature provides are undervalued in our market economy as we do not pay directly for them

• Globally these benefits are estimated to be worthtrillions of dollars per year

• Yet they are not monitored, measured or accounted for in decision-making and land-use planning

The true value of natural capital


• Policy-makers and businesses have begun to recognize nature as a beneficial store of wealth.

• For example, instead of spending more than $7 billion on water treatment plants, the City of New York instead spent $2 billion to protect and restore the local watershed to provide its drinking water.

The true value of natural capital


• In October, the David Suzuki Foundation released Natural Capital in BC's Lower Mainland: Valuing the benefits from nature

• The study was commissioned by the Pacific Parklands Foundation to determine benefits provided by areas of natural capital within the Lower Mainland region

Natural capital in the Lower Mainland

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/reports/2010/natural-capital-in-bcs-lower-mainland/


The study area included Metro Vancouver and its surrounding watersheds, extending west to Squamish and east to Hope

BC’s Lower Mainland


• BC’s Lower Fraser Valley contains some of Canada’s best agricultural lands, wetlands and forest

• At the same time, the Lower Mainland’s population of 2.5 million is expected to grow by 20% in the next decade

Population pressuresin the Lower Mainland


• Values are assigned to different types of ecosystem based on land-cover data

• Valuations were predominately based on the cost to replace natural ecosystems with engineered systems

Estimating economic values for ecosystem benefits


• Climate regulation• Clean air• Water supply• Flood protection

Values were estimated for ecosystem services such as:

• Waste treatment• Pollination• Recreation and tourism• Food production


• Forests 61%• Exposed 10%• Developed 9%• Water 9%• Shrublands 5%• Agriculture 5%• Wetlands 2%

Ecosystems in the Lower Mainland


• More than 40% of mature forests have been lost

• More than 100 plants and animals in the region are at risk

• Half of the original wetlands have been lost

BC’s dwindling natural capital


• Sprawling low-density suburban housing

• Dikes and industrial agriculture

• Water pollution from urban centres, agricultural lands and sewage treatment plants

Threats to BC’s natural capital


$5.4 billion$3,880 per hectare

$2,462 per person

$6,402 per household

The total value of benefits from natural capital each year:


Forests$5,900

to $7,400 per hectare

The most valuable types of ecosystem in the region:

Wetlands$4,200

to $6,200 per hectare



LEARN: Find out more about the essential services nature provides and the staggering economic value of these benefits in your community.

What can we do with this info?


SHARE: Share these ideas with local decision-makers to ensure that decisions about the growth of your community reflect the true value of nature.



DO: Use information about the benefits of natural capital to bolster local efforts to protect and restore ecosystems in your community.



David Suzuki Foundation www.davidsuzuki.org

The Bank of Natural Capital bankofnaturalcapital.com

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) www.teebweb.org

For more information about natural capital:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/wildlife-habitat/projects/natural-capital/

http://www.teebweb.org/


The David Suzuki Foundation is a Canadian nonprofit organization that works with government, business, and individuals to protect the health of our communities and the environment through science-based education, advocacy, and policy work, and acting as a catalyst for social change www.davidsuzuki.org

The Pacific Parklands Foundation is a non-profit society established in January 2000 with a mandate to ensure the Metro Vancouver region’s parks and conservation areas are protected and enhanced for the benefit of current and future generations through philanthropy, volunteerism and public awareness www.pacificparklands.ca

About the groups involved:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/wildlife-habitat/projects/natural-capital/

http://www.pacificparklands.ca/

Documents

Natural capital in British Columbia's lower mainland