Monthly Archives: October 2013

Funding for ecosystem services research – Proposals due Nov 30 (2013)

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The Ottawa-based think-tank Sustainable Prosperity is awarding grants to student research proposals that advance policy-relevant research focused on market-based policy or regulatory approaches to enhance environmental protection and sustainability. Up to $8000 will be awarded for the research of one student, or $14,000 for two or more students.

A priority research area is markets for ecosystem goods and services!

They are also keen for research proposals that indirectly relate to ecosystem services, including economic instruments to influence land-use, public attitudes and political economic of market-based instruments.

The deadline for submitting two-page (600 word) proposals is November 30, 2013.  Click here to read more details.  Questions about this initiative should be directed to the Sustainable Prosperity network coordinator Annie Bérubé at aberube@sustainableprosperity.ca.

ONES Strategic Planning Session to be held Nov 22 (2013)

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On Friday November 22 (2013) from 2:30-5PM, the ONES steering committee will host a strategic planning session in Room 10 at the Nottawasaga Inn (6015 Highway 89, Alliston, ON, L9R 1A4).

The purpose of this event is to renew the purpose, intended outcomes, and measures of success of ONES. This will inform future actions and events and to confirm a draft set of bylaws that could be suitable for incorporation.  This will also integrate the new additional mandate of ONES as a working group of the Ontario Biodiversity Council (as updated earlier).

This meeting is open to any interested supporters and network members. If you are interested in attending, or would like to pass on comments or suggestions, please e-mail ONES@ONEcosystemServices.ca to confirm your attendance and to be notified when our room is confirmed.

Agenda:

2:30-3PM: Review of draft bylaws. To be facilitated by Eric Miller.

Eric will walk us through a draft bylaws document, which identifies the rules that will govern ONES as an entity.  This includes the rights and responsibilities of members and directors, reporting and meeting requirements, and the nature of ONES as an organization.  These bylaws are informed by the requirements under provincial and federal acts that govern incorporated non-profits, even though ONES is not incorporated.  These bylaws were drafted from discussions at a Steering Retreat that was held May 23, 2013.

3-4PM: Strategic planning exercise. To be facilitated by Kaitlin Almack.

Kaitlin will introduce the purpose of strategic planning for organizations like ONES.  She will lead us through an exercise to confirm the purpose of ONES and its intended outcomes, with measures of success.  As part of this exercise, we will integrate the new additional purpose of ONES as a working group of the Ontario Biodiversity Council.

4-5PM: 2014 Work plan.  To be facilitated by Kaitlin Almack.

We will plan events, such as the timing and form of a 2014 ONES Workshop, the potential for smaller more focussed ONES Events that could be broadcast and recorded (e.g. the role of Ecosystem Services in Environmental Assessments, market-based instruments for Bobolink protection and recovery in Ontario, modelling the “benefits-shed” of ecosystem services from protected areas), seeking funding / administrative support, etc.

5PM: Other matters. To be facilitated by Mike Puddister.

This will review the outstanding ONES balance held in trust by the EOMF, recent expenses for ONES website software and promo, and other items not covered earlier in the meeting.

Montreal’s Ecosystems at your Service

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Our mission is to connect McGillians and Montrealers with the ecosystems around them, and show how nature contributes to our quality of life. Our website is a place to read informative, engaging and interesting stories about how our daily lives are connected to nature and the ecosystems in and around Montreal. Since we’re scientists, we also want to highlight some of the incredible science behind these connections, in an accessible and understandable way.

Estimation of the Passive Use Values Associated with Future Expansion of Provincial Parks and Protected Areas in Southern Ontario

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Results from this paper provide estimates of the social benefits associated with an expansion of the protected area network in the Mixedwood Plains of southern Ontario. In addition the social costs and benefits were estimated for a hypothetical expansion of the protected areas system in Ecodistrict 6E-12 (Kemptville), a region within the Mixedwood Plains. The costs were approximated with a hedonic model of land characteristics used to predict the
acquisition costs of future land purchases necessary to expand the protected area network in 6E-12. The benefit side in 6E-12 was represented by passive-use values measured by the public willingness to pay for expanding the protected area network.

The valuation of wetland conservation in an urban/peri urban watershed

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This study estimates the social benefits of wetland conservation in the Credit River watershed, located in an urban/peri urban area in Southern Ontario, Canada. A stated preference approach was employed to value wetland conservation programs which ranged from retaining the existing wetlands to restoring various levels of acres of wetlands over the 2009–2020 period. A total of 1,407 households completed an internet-based survey which presented trade-offs in binary choice scenarios framed as referenda. Responses were analyzed using various models, one of which was a latent class analysis which segmented respondents into three classes. This econometric approach uncovered significant preference heterogeneity for wetland conservation. Assignment of respondents to the classes suggested that about one-third of the sample was willing to pay small amounts to retain the existing wetlands. An additional third was willing to pay several hundred dollars a year for retention and small positive amounts for additional restoration. The final third were apparently willing to pay considerable sums for retention, but lesser amounts for additional restoration. However, further analysis revealed that respondents in this third class largely constituted yea-sayers. These results suggest caution in interpreting associated economic valuation estimates and highlight the importance of attempting to understand hypothetical bias in wetland and other such valuation studies.

Willingness to pay for water quality and supply enhancements in the Grand River watershed

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This paper reports the results of a large contingent valuation survey to estimate the social benefits of water quality improvements in the watershed. Early results indicate a willingness to pay (WTP) for residential water quality improvements of up to $4.50 per household per month (19% of the average water bill), with a somewhat lower value for preserving the environmental quality of parkland in the watershed. Using a 5% discount rate, this translates into a demand for water quality projects in the region with a capital value of nearly 91100 per household. The narrowness of the estimated range of WTP values, and their similarity to values found in other studies, suggests that our estimates are a reliable measure of the monetary value of social benefits from water quality improvements in the region. The main socio-economic determinants of willingness to pay appear to be household income, number of children, perception of existing water quality, and awareness of environmental issues on the part of survey respondents.

Ecosystem Services at Oct 31-Nov 2 (2013) CANSEE Conference in Toronto

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Many ONES members will be attending the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics (CANSEE) conference, Sustaining the Commons: Ideas and Actions for a Green Economy, at York University in Toronto, from October 31-November 2.

The conference will feature many topics and issues within ecological economics, including the assessment of ecosystem services.  Speakers include ONES members Tatiana Koveshnikova, Jeff J Wilson, and Eric Miller. Some specific presentations of potential interest to ONES members include:

Session C: Community level sustainability (Fri Nov 1 @ 10:45AM)

“Understanding social values of ecosystem services through perceptions at the community level in the Rio Tapajajos region in the Brazilian Amazon” by Stephane Tremblay, Universite de Quebec a Montreal

“Valuing the Aquatic Benefits of BC’s Lower Mainland” Michelle Molnar, David Suzuki Foundation

“Measuring Environmental Impact at the Neighbourhood Level” Jeff Wilson (a different Jeff Wilson from the ONES member Jeff J Wilson), Dalhousie University

Session D: Sustaining the Commons (Fri Nov 1 @ 10:45AM)

“From Watersheds to Well-being: A preliminary look at ecosystem based indicators of well-being and their applications” Alexandra Belaskie & Julie Mallette, York University

Session H: Ecosystem Services Valuation (Fri Nov 1 @ 3PM)

“Valuation of Ecosystem Services: to Value or Not to Value” Maria Nijnik, Hutton Institute, UK

“Value Lost in Translation: Integrating Ecological Principles into Environmental Valuations”, Tania Briceno, Earth Economics

“Environmental Values in the Marketplace” Roger Hansell, Noble University

Session I: Towards a Green Economy (Fri Nov 1 @ 3PM)

“Green Economy Roadmap for Conservation Authorities”, Jeff J Wilson, Green Analytics (and member of ONES)

Poster Session (Fri Nov 1 @4:45)

“Green accounting as a measure of sustainability – international experiences and challenges ahead” Dr. Bedru B. Balana, The James Hutton Institute

Session L: Valuation and biodiversity (Sat Nov 2 @ 10:45AM)

“Valuing Wetlands in the Credit River Watershed: Implications for Wetland Restoration” Tatiana Koveshnikova, Credit Valley Conservation Area (and member of ONES)

“Using Contingent Valuation and Choice Experiment to Value Agricultural Beneficial Management Practices in Quebec” Jerome Dupras, Université de Montréal

Session N: National Accounts and Green Indicators (Sat Nov 2 @ 10:45AM)

“Land Accounting in Quebec: A Pilot Project for a Sub-Provincial Area” Stephanie Uhde, Quebec Institute of Statistics

“Accounting for Subsoil Mineral and Energy Resources in National Accounts” Weimin Wang and Patrick Adams, Statistics Canada

“Productivity and Natural Capital” Laurel Besco, University of Ottawa

On Sat Nov 2 at 1:15 there’s an Ivey Panel Discussion about the societal uptake of Green Fiscal measures, which is relevant to incentives and the creation of markets in the support of ecosystem services and natural capital.

Hope to see you there and then!