A Prosperous Economy needs Climate Resilience

By Jo-Anne Rzadki, Conservation Ontario

Recently, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20^th century.  Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850.  The panel reports that this will cause sea levels to continue to rise, there will be longer and more frequent heat waves with currently dry regions receiving less rainfall and wet regions receiving more.  As a result of our past, present and expected future actions, effects will persist for many centuries even if emissions of CO2 stop. 

You can read the report and draw your own conclusions, but I know for some this may be discouraging to hear and generate a feeling of hopelessness and that it’s too late to do anything about this.  I prefer to take the “glass half full” view. 

The theme of this year’s A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, Resilience: The Ability to Adapt to Change, sends a positive and hopeful message that in the face of dire messages, there are things we can still do – even within in the current restrained fiscal “climate” - to work collaboratively and make a difference. Citizens, public agencies, private industry, non-government organizations, and community groups can all contribute to building resilience by finding new ways of doing business.

One of the streams in the Symposium program will focus on the Green Economy and Ecosystem Services.  Speakers will explore how ecosystem services support resilience and will identify priorities in managing those services for increased resilience and human well being.  Case study presentations will highlight successes, what has been learned, and what is needed by various sectors to advance the economy within the context of resilient sustainable ecosystems and societies. 

Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities recognize we have a role to play with others in contributing to a vibrant society and economy by promoting new technologies like low impact development and green infrastructure and by providing the best local watershed science available such as up to date floodplain maps which help to adapt to more frequent intensive storm events like those we have seen over this past summer.

What I find encouraging is that businesses, companies and their investors are recognizing that economic prosperity is dependent on ecosystem services.  Our environment helps to produce energy, supplies water to industry and individual households, contributes to tourism, timber, fisheries and recreation sectors, provides food and much, much more. This year’s Symposium program will provide examples from private sector companies of what they are doing to ensure economic and environmental and climate resilience, reduce emissions and manage water, as well as maintain biodiversity and natural systems that are essential to good business – and healthy lifestyles for employees and communities. Some may call it “Green Washing” but from what I’ve seen, there is plenty of real progress being made for the right reasons.  They will also be telling us their challenges and providing suggestions for how those of us in the conservation and environment sector can work more effectively with them. I’m looking forward to the discussion….and the opportunities for collaboration.

Jo-Anne Rzadki is the Watershed Stewardship Coordinator at Conservation Ontario and led the development of the Green Economy/Ecosystem Services stream for Latornell 2013. Jo-Anne will be speaking about Conservation Authorities in a Changing Economy- Green Economy Roadmap in session T2D at the Symposium. 

Connecting the Dots

By Paul Baines, Founder and Coordinator of the Great Lakes Commons Map

40 million people live in the Great Lakes bioregion, but what impact do they have? 

A new collaborative map gives people a tool to mark their worry and wisdom. One example is a group of Ontario citizens organizing to stop the burial of nuclear waste on the shores of Lake Huron.

The Great Lakes Commons Map (GLCM) started with a question about impacts:

"How can we engage these 40 million people to treat the Great Lakes as commons -- a gift we have inherited and with a duty to be stewards for all species and generations to come?"

The online Commons Map was inspired by the groundbreaking work of the Council of Canadians and On The Commons. These two groups (informed and supported by many NGOs, academics, and First Nations) are naming a new narrative for the Great Lakes based on collective and ecological rights.

What makes the Commons Map unique is its commitment to place and collaboration.

Stories about harm, healing, memory, or imagination – can be marked on a map. This builds a greater connection to the bioregion and it illustrates the how one person’s efforts can be multiplied by the efforts of others. Collective intelligence and shared participation are key to a commons approach.

Right now there are over 90 posts on the GLCM about what matters for the Great lakes using text, photos, and videos.

Using the website or mobile app, people can share their stories and easily witness and comment on what is happening upstream or downstream. There are so many issues impacting the Great Lakes (urbanization, agriculture, industry, recreation, global warming, invasive species, transportation) but these all have a local impact on where we call home.

The GLCM gathers and organizes our gifts in technology, culture, and curiosity to multiply the parts beyond their sum through limitless collaboration and a shared vision. It's time to connect the dots and enable a water-commons movement that makes a positive impact. Visit the Commons Map and add your part. 

Paul Baines is the Founder and Coordinator of the GLCM and lives in the Humber River watershed. He is presenting on Day Two of Latornell with the the Discovery and Accessibility panel.

Can the Past Still Inform the Future?

By Deborah Martin-Downs, Chair of 20^th Annual A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium  

I have always been a big fan of looking back to see where we have been and what we have learned along the way.  Sometimes I find that the conservation community has made positive progress in many areas and lost ground in others.  Looking back allows us to evaluate the relationships between species and their environment and determine the factors that contributed to change.  Take for example the removal of sewage treatment plants on small rivers back in the late 1970s. What were once septic zones became populated with fish again – a pretty good news story.  On the other hand, look at the distribution of redside dace from the 1950s to present and we observe a steady decline in their populations and locations across the GTA. How do we need to change our practices to allow this little fish to survive here?  

Resilience – the ability to adapt to change, is the theme for this year’s Latornell Symposium. It is fitting on many fronts. First, our weather is changing, challenging communities, health, and infrastructure.  Natural disasters, including floods, fire, drought and windstorms have affected more than 450 million people worldwide over the past two years with damages of approximately $100 billion dollars per year.  How can we best anticipate and prepare for these events rather than simply react to them?

 Further, Ontario’s species are increasingly exposed to threats from invasives, contaminants and habitat alteration.  How resilient are they to these changing conditions? 

Our conservation community has seen significant change over the two decades of the Latornell Symposium.  There have been changes to technology, techniques, policies and practices as well as to the systems we manage and monitor. Are things getting better with time or worse, and what are the causal mechanisms? 

Finally, this is the 20^th Anniversary of the Symposium – growing from a small idea to the largest environmental conference of its kind in Ontario.  Twenty years of success shows that the organizing committee, University of Guelph and Conservation Ontario are very resilient in building the brand, and remaining relevant and topical year over year, sometimes in spite of funding challenges.  

 

Over the past year we surveyed the delegates to the Symposium  to hear your thoughts on how we are doing and what you would like to see change.  One of the big questions we had was - is this the right location for this conference? And while some of you said no, the majority of you like the homey atmosphere of the Nottawasaga Inn.  So for now, we’ll stay put.  We find that we have met most of your expectations for quality and diversity but each year we rely on the delegates to bring us your ideas, work, and to prepare outstanding presentations.  We have experimented with different styles of presentations, panels, and workshops, and will continue to use technology to improve and innovate.  Did you like the live twitter feed screens last year?  Even I learned to tweet – who says you can’t teach an old ecologist new tricks?  Follow me @topdoglatornell.  

We will continue the tradition that Art Latornell started of engaging our young professionals, and in this 20^th year we will place additional focus on networking opportunities and mentoring, so keep an eye out for those announcements.  We have some other special 20^th Anniversary activities planned so if you haven’t already done so – mark November 20-22 on your calendar – you won’t want to miss this one!   

Hope you’ll be there to contribute to the fun, discussion, and celebrations!

Deborah Martin-Downs is the Director of the Ecology Division at the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority and Conference Chair, of the 20^th Annual A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium