This event is presented as a follow up to the webinar held on November 4, 2021 on the recently published Professional Practice Guidelines – Local Government Asset Management. The Professional Practice Guidelines establish that engineering and geoscience professionals must be aware of natural assets and should be integrating them into their asset management processes. Best practices show that valuation of natural assets is possible and desirable in the context of planning for financial and asset management; accordingly, the guidelines include the integration of natural assets into Asset Registers as a recommended standard of professional practice.
The panel event will enable knowledge sharing between attendees and subject matter experts with experience in integrating nature-based solutions into municipal asset management, with a goal of increasing the capacity of registrants to:
- Integrate natural asset considerations into the asset management process; and
- Access tools and resources relevant to natural asset management.
The event will introduce municipal natural asset management within the context nature-based climate solutions, and provide an overview of current opportunities, funding, and resources available for natural asset management. Through a series of presentations and case studies, the participants will learn about approaches for risk-based and economic valuation of natural assets, strategies for integrating natural asset management into existing local government plans and programs, best practices, and lessons learned from local government projects. Following the presentations, participants will be invited to engage with the presenters through a facilitated panel discussion and to provide input to Engineers and Geoscientists BC on how it can support its registrants with natural asset management through the development of resources and ongoing continuing education offerings.
- Explain how to develop a natural asset management strategy or integrating, where possible, natural asset management into existing asset management plans;
- Be familiar with the assessment of, and accounting for, natural assets including developing monitoring and reporting protocols, and determining performance indicators for natural assets;
- Describe current opportunities, funding, and resources available for natural asset management;
- Describe initiatives being pursued in BC in relation to municipal natural assets;
- Strategize how to engage and collaborate with other natural asset owners whose natural assets are relied on for service delivery; and
- Be familiar with case studies related to municipal asset management for community projects.
- Engineering and geoscience professionals working in the local government sector looking to get engaged in asset management;
- Firms providing asset management services; and
- Engineering and geoscience professionals working in the field of climate change or those wishing to learn more about how municipal natural assets can be strategically leveraged to minimize climate change impacts.
Asset Management Consultant, AECOM
Nikita comes from a background in civil structural engineering and asset management. With her current role as an asset management consultant at AECOM and previous experience as an engineering and environmental advisor at Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, she works for government clients providing technical assistance for built infrastructure and natural assets. She provides services related to capital planning, asset criticality and has working knowledge of natural asset inventories and watershed scale projects.
Professor, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, and Co-Director of the Masters of Engineering Leadership in Urban Systems
Dr. Nesbit is a leader in engineering education for sustainability, with experience in course design, program design, and institutional change. Her teaching achievements, which include the introduction of service learning into undergraduate engineering programs, and the successful development of online and blended courses in sustainability and engineering, have been cited by engineering educators across North America for their excellence. During 2021, and in partnership with the Municipal Natural Asset Initiative, Susan worked with both senior undergraduate and graduate engineering students taking her Environmental Stewardship in Engineering course, to co-created course learning material on natural asset management.
Principal, Urban Systems
Jody works with government and community clients to achieve better outcomes from infrastructure and service provision. She provides services related to facilitation, strategy development, process review, governance and financial analysis, capacity building, and change management.
Manager, Individual Audits and Practice Reviews, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
As Manager, Individual Audits and Practice Reviews, Stuart works on professional practice guidelines, leads the team responsible for managing the Continuing Education (CE) Program, and is managing the transition to the new Audit and Practice Review Programs for individuals under the Professional Governance Act. He is a registered professional engineer with a background in municipal utilities and site servicing engineering.
