Municipal Natural Asset Initiative: Refining and Implementing Solutions in the Greenbelt Region
Municipal Natural Assets Initiative Society
$300,000 (over 3 years)
Grant Stream: Resilient Greenbelt
Date Approved: March 20, 2018
Municipalities can no longer afford to disregard the essential contributions natural/green infrastructure play in the carrying capacity of a municipality. In a time of climate change/increasingly volatile extreme weather events and greater funding difficulties for Ontario municipalities, the immense value natural/green infrastructure present to municipalities in ecological services must not only be calculated, but protected to maintain integrity/efficacy.
The emerging practice of municipal natural asset management values ecosystem services (i.e. stormwater conveyance, water purification) and manages natural assets as part of a local government’s asset management and infrastructure program.
The project offers training on stormwater management services for up to seven (7) local governments in the Greenbelt and favours municipal partnerships within individual watersheds. Managing nature to provide key services can reduce infrastructure costs and vulnerabilities (i.e. flooding) for municipalities and increase the protection and enhancement of natural systems in the Greenbelt and surrounding area.