Indicators: Tools to Measure and Advance Sustainability

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Indicators Tools to Measure and Advance
Sustainability
Building Sustainable Communities Conference
Kelowna, BC - November 22, 2007 Fraser Basin
Council
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Presentation Outline

• Who is the Fraser Basin Council?
• Why measure and report on sustainability?
• Indicator reporting process
• Results - what did we learn?
• How are indicator reports being used?
• Future FBC plans for indicators and reporting

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Fraser River Basin - Geography
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Who is the Fraser Basin Council?

• Not-for-profit NGO to advance sustainability in
  the 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 educate on the need for sustainability
• Role to measure and report on progress towards
  sustainability in the Fraser Basin

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A Vision for the Fraser Basin
Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy
and sustained by a healthy environment.
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Why Measure and Report on Sustainability?

• FBC Goals for Indicators Program
• 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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Target Audiences

• A broad audience, which varies at different
  scales
• Communities and Regions
• Four Orders of Government
• Non-Government Organizations
• Business Community
• Civil Society / General Public
• Media
• Educators - both formal and non-formal

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Indicator Reporting Process

• Define the scope of sustainability issues and
  select appropriate indicators through
• Public and stakeholder consultation
• Collaboration with technical advisors
• Analyze overlap and balance between public
  preferences with technical recommendations
• Team of researchers collect data from various
  sources and analyze trends
• Write / edit / write / edit!
• Layout design and publication
• Dissemination
• Feedback and evaluation to refine issues,
  indicators, data sources

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Three FBC Indicator Reports
2003
2004
2006
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2006 Sustainability Snapshot

• Contents
• 18 indicator topics / themes
• Sustainability highlights
• Inspired actions case studies
• Graphical representation of data
• References for further information
• Unique features
• Sustainability lens
• Geographic scale (basin-wide and five
  sub-regions)
• Variety of data and sustainability stories
• Details of actions for sustainability

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Results - Dissemination

• Multiple Reporting Formats
• Hardcopy Snapshot Reports
• Released and profiled at Biennial State of the
  Fraser Basin Conference (February 2009)
• Presentations to diverse audiences
• Media coverage through news releases
• HTML and PDF version Web-based Atlas and
  Reporting (in development)

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Summary of 2006 Results

• 3 indicator topics that overall are Getting
  Better (green)
• Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Relations
• Business and Sustainability
• Community Engagement

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Summary of 2006 Results

• 7 indicator topics that overall show
• Mixed Results (orange)
• Agriculture and Food
• Economy
• Education
• Income
• Natural Hazards
• Population and Consumption
• Water Quality and Quantity

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Summary of 2006 Results
8 indicator topics that overall are Getting
Worse (red)

• Air Quality
• Climate Change
• Energy
• Fish and Fisheries
• Forests and Forestry
• Wastes and Toxins
• Health
• Housing

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Some Specific Results Indicators that are
Getting Better

• Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Relations
• Improved relations generally, increasing clarity
  in rights and title, and progress in the treaty
  process
• Community Engagement
• Value of charitable donations increased 83 in BC
  since 2000
• Rate of volunteerism increased 19 since 2000

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Some Specific ResultsIndicators that show Mixed
Results

• Agriculture and Food
• Increase in overall amount of land in ALR, but
  decrease in amount of prime agricultural land.
• Number of organic farms increasing and
  participation in Environmental Farm Plan
• Water Quality and Quantity
• Total municipal water consumption has increased
  (21), but per capita consumption has dropped (7)

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Some Specific Results Indicators that are
Getting Worse

• Forests and Forestry
• The Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak continues to
  expand - area impacted increased from 4 million
  ha in 2003 to 8.7 million ha in 2006
• Increasing short-term harvest rates, reduced
  medium to long-term harvest rates, and concerns
  about ecosystem health , economic sustainability
  and social wellbeing

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Desired Outcomes

• Educate communities and stakeholders about
  sustainability issues and trends
• De-mystify sustainability by relating a complex
  concept to real interests (health, housing, clean
  air)
• Contribute to informed planning and decision
  making processes (and informed public
  participation)
• Help to prioritize resources and actions
• Changes in behaviour as communities and
  individuals adopt suggested actions to advance
  sustainability
• Increased public understanding and support can
  increase political will for sustainability

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How is the Snapshot being used?

• Some anecdotal examples
• Ministerial briefing
• Local government strategic planning and policy
  review
• NGO strategic planning (Fraser Basin Council)
• Informed citizen participation in public
  processes
• High school, college and university course work
• Inform public through media coverage

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How is the Snapshot being used?

• Feedback forms and evaluation of use responses
• Informing organizational planning and/or
  decision-making processes
• Helping individuals set work priorities
• Raising awareness and/or changing behaviour
• Informing decision-making
• Policy development
• Program planning and/or strategic planning
• Business decisions
• Lifestyle choices and/or consumer choices
• Setting monitoring or research priorities

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Future Plans for Measuring and Reporting on
Sustainability

• Complete the evaluation of the use(s) of the FBC
  Indicators (Volunteers to participate?)
• Regional Snapshot reports for each of the five
  Fraser Basin regions in various formats (next in
  the Upper Fraser and Lower Fraser-Sea to Sky
  regions)
• Ongoing 2-year reporting cycle for the basin-wide
  Snapshot report (Snapshot 4 in February 2009)
• Web-based indicator atlas and indicators
  reporting system with a search / query function
• Development of additional targets, benchmarks and
  indices?

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FBC Collaboration With Other Initiatives

• Advisor / Sharing Lessons Learned / Good
  Practices
• Regional Vancouver Urban Observatory
• Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network
• Greater Vancouver - Social Sustainability
  Indicators
• Genuine Progress Index - Pacific
• Columbia Basin Trust
• Clayoquot Biosphere Trust
• Metro Vancouver Vital Signs
• Review Indicator Reports
• Fraser River Estuary Management Program
• Georgia Basin - Puget Sound Ecosystem Indicators
• State of Canadas Freshwater Ecosystems
• BCs Coastal and Marine Environment

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Questions Discussion?
Thank You!Steve Litke - Program ManagerFraser
Basin CouncilPh 604 488 5358slitke_at_fraserbasin.
bc.cawww.fraserbasin.bc.ca