Driving Change and Getting Results

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Sustainability Indicators and Reporting The
Fraser Basin Council Model

• Driving Change and Getting Results
• Bellevue Washington - September 13-14, 2005

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Outline

• Fraser Basin Council
• Goals - Why Measure and Report?
• Indicator Selection
• Process and Contributors
• Target Audiences
• Highlights
• Lessons Learned
• Impacts and Outcomes

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Fraser Basin Council

• Non-for-profit NGO to advance sustainability in
  the Fraser Basin.
• Board of Directors (36) includes four orders of
  Canadian government, private sector and civil
  society interests.
• Mandate to advance sustainability - especially in
  complex, inter-jurisdictional issues.
• Mandate to measure and report on progress towards
  sustainability in the Fraser Basin.
• Roles catalyst, educator, impartial convener /
  facilitator.

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Vision - Charter for Sustainability

• Vision - where social well-being is supported by
  a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy
  environment.
• Definition - living and managing our activities
  in a way that balances social, economic,
  environmental and institutional considerations to
  meet our needs and those of future generations.
• 12 Principles of Sustainability
• 26 Goals of Sustainability

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Goals - Why Measure and Report on Sustainability?

• To increase public awareness and understanding
  about sustainability
• To identify critical issues and responses to
  improve progress
• To inform and influence decisions and actions to
  advance sustainability

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Indicator Selection - Criteria

• Available and accessible
• Understandable by non-technical audiences
• Credible, reliable and defensible
• Relevant (reflecting community values)
• Temporal (track trends and progress over time)
• Comparable across regions
• Links to mandate of FBC (Charter for
  Sustainability)
• Integrative (links dimensions of sustainability)

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Indicator Selection - Process

• Identify priority sustainability issues and
  preferred indicators through public and
  stakeholder consultation
• Workbook
• Survey (400 respondents)
• Workshops (300 diverse participants in 8
  communities) Collaboration with technical
  advisors
• Identify best available data and technically
  sound indicators through an Advisory Committee
• Government, Nongovernment, Academic, Private
  Sector (both specialists and generalists)
• Analyze overlap and balance public preferences
  with technical recommendations.
• Final decisions by FBC Board of Directors
  (committee meetings and Board dialogue workshops)

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Contributors

• Decision-Making
• FBC Board of Directors
• Research, Analysis, Writing and Editing
• FBC Staff and Consultants
• Data Providers
• Government, Non-Government, Private Sector
• Reviewers and Advisors
• FBC Board, Staff and External Advisors
• Graphic Design and Printing
• Contracted Companies

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Contributors - Sponsors

• Fraser Basin Council Core Operating Budget
• Federal, Provincial and Local Governments
• Indicator Development and Snapshot Reports
• In-Kind Contributions (Data Providers and
  Advisors)
• FBC Core Budget
• Vancouver Foundation
• National Round Table on the Environment and
  Economy
• Vancouver City Savings and Credit Union
• Western Economic Diversification
• Environment Canada
• Others?

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Target Audiences

• Communities and Four Orders of Government
• Non-Government Organizations
• Business Community
• Civil Society
• General Public
• Media
• Educators

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Highlights - What Issues are Profiled?

• Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal Relations
• Agriculture
• Air Quality
• Business Sustainability
• Community Engagement
• Community Sustainability
• Economic Diversification
• Education
• Energy Climate Change

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Highlights - What Issues are Profiled?

• Fish Wildlife
• Flood Hazard Management
• Forests Forestry
• Health
• Housing
• Income Employment
• Population
• Water Quality Quantity
• Plus Five Regional Profiles

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Highlights - Regional Reporting

• Sustainability resonates more at a local and
  regional scale
• Different priorities, trends and drivers in
  different regions
• Different opportunities for data and analysis at
  a regional scale
• Information may support more regionally relevant
  actions

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Highlights - Reporting on Actions and Initiatives

• What are we doing to advance sustainability?
• For example
• 30 applications to hold Community-to-Community
  Forums
• 45 recovery teams in BC (species at risk)
• 28 local governments in the Basin are involved in
  Partners for Climate Protection Program (FCM)
• Miscellaneous examples and case studies

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Lessons Learned - Data

• Indicators are largely dependent on and limited
  by best available, accessible, affordable data
• Different data providers / data sets have
  different
• Periods of record and schedules for updates/lag
  times
• Geographic boundaries and resolution
• Methodologies for collection, processing and QA
• Sample size
• Resources to disseminate data / interpret trends
• Some significant lag times exist
• 2-7 years for Population Census
• Most current Census data available in 2003 was
  1996)
• Significant time spent to identify and process
  best available data

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Lessons Learned - Analysis and Interpretation

• The selected measures influence the results . . .
• Using less energy per capita but total energy use
  and greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise
• Using less water per capita but total water
  consumption is increasing
• The scope and scale of analysis influences the
  results . . .
• Different time periods
• Different geographic scales
• Comparisons are of interest to our audiences
• If BC were a country . . .
• 2nd highest life expectancy in the world
• 4th highest GHG emissions in the world

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Lessons Learned - Reporting Mechanisms

• It is useful to have multiple reporting formats
  and mechanisms, including but not limited to
• Snapshot Reports (and other report formats)
• Biennial State of the Fraser Basin Conference
• Presentations
• Media coverage
• Web-based Atlas and Reporting

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Lessons Learned - Big Picture Reflections

• Set Realistic Expectations
• What indicators are and are not
• What can be achieved in the short vs. long term
• Limitations of data and analysis
• Design an Appropriate Process
• Diverse participation and consultation at all
  stages
• Link with communication and action
• Long-term commitment and evolution
• Find the Right Balance
• Social, economic, environmental sustainability
• Technical merit and public interest / acceptance
• Comprehensive yet concise

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Lessons Learned - Some Unresolved Issues Remain

• From Reporting to Action?
• To Index or Not?
• Using Benchmarks, Thresholds, and Targets

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Impacts and Outcomes- What Difference Have We
Made?

• No quantitative, verifiable data available yet on
  outcomes.
• Anecdotal evidence of use
• Local government strategic planning and policy
  review
• High school, college and university curriculum
• Outputs
• Significant distribution (12,000 and 10,000
  copies distributed)
• High level of interest among media and educators
• High level of interest provincially, nationally
  and internationally
• Has increased FBC profile and credibility
• FBC undertaking a more formal evaluation on
  indicator use over next 6 months (between 2nd and
  3rd reports)
• FBC involved in research on sustainability
  awareness and perceptions (e.g., dialogue
  sessions, surveys and polling)

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• Office Location
• 1st Floor - 470 Granville Street
• Vancouver, BC
• V6C 1V5 CANADA
• Tel. [phone]
• Fax. [phone]
• www.fraserbasin.bc.ca