Introduction
The Funding our Future workshop, will bring together local government and First Nations elected officials and staff, not for profit organisations, funding and financial advisors active within the capital region to talk about how sustainable funding for biodiversity and stewardship could be achieved.
The natural environment within the capital region has supported people for millennia by providing shade, water, food, medicine, and protection from extreme weather events, and it remains one of the main reasons that people continue to move to the area. However, colonisation, climate change, and the increasing urban density has affected the health of these systems, which subsequently affects the health of communities within the region.
In the region First Nations guardian programs, environmental not for profit organisations, and local governments are taking measurable action to improve the health of these ecosystems. However, these programs are not receiving enough funding to be able to prevent biodiversity loss, improve ecosystem resilience and adaptation as landscapes continue to rapidly change. We want to look for solutions.
Territorial Acknowledgement
Objectives of the Workshop
The objectives for the workshop are:
- To reflect on what we value about the natural environment and the services it provides.
- To share information on new ways to finance biodiversity and stewardship that brings external funding to the region.
- To meet others who are involved in stewardship of the region’s natural environment.
- To share and build collaborative opportunities for actions that we can take to increase finance for the natural environment.
Pre-Workshop Resources
Agenda
The workshop is broken into three parts. The first part of the day is focused on determining community values and on what natural features we want to protect and steward in the region. The second part of the day is focused financial mechanisms that can be used to generate sustainable funding and approaches to governance. The third part of the day will reflect on the next steps for building additional funding.
Photo by Tom Whitfield
Breakout Group Resources
The workshop will focus on sustainable funding models that are currently in use in BC, but where applicable will pull on a couple of models from outside the province to show what others are also doing. Resources have been developed to help conversation during the second breakout group which focuses on methods of generating income. This maybe a new area of knowledge for some people attending so these resources have been developed to ensure that everyone can take part in the conversation.
Credit – Coast Funds
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the speakers and participants of the workshop. We would also like to acknowledge the support that has been provided by our funders.
