What's New in Natural Resources?

 Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Advancing the

geoengineering debate at the Arctic Council
(PDF - 640 kb)
The Arctic is like the canary in the coalmine, warning us about the increasing impact of climate
change, which is felt first there. In 2007, the Arctic ice cap shrunk to its smallest size ever
recorded, 37 per cent below the recorded average. Its abrupt decline, which deviates widely from
the largely linear and predictable trend observed over the past few decades, has alarmed the
scientific community and suggests we may be closer to a dangerous "tipping point" than previously
anticipated. At the same time, economic globalization is coming to this marginalized region at last
through increased resource exploitation, leading in turn to further emissions of greenhouse gases
and further climate change.

As unsavoury as it may be, this paper will argue that we must investigate geoengineering as an
emergency option in case the mitigation regime fails. Given the dramatic consequences of climate
change in the Arctic and the role of this region in the global climate, the Arctic countries have a
special responsibility to lead this investigation and the debate surrounding it. As the only
circumpolar governance forum on environmental issues, the Arctic Council is an obvious venue for
this process. The paper explores the state of global geoengineering governance and how it should
be constructed, and how the Arctic Council can contribute.
 Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation
Assessment (PDF - 2.5 mb)
Pimachiowin Aki Corp. is a non-profit organization working to establish a World Heritage Site within
an area of about 40,000 square kilometers of intact boreal forest on the Ontario-Manitoba border.
The non-profit group asked IISD to provide an estimate of the economic value of the services
provided by Pimachiowin Aki’s natural environments to both residents and non-residents.

While some spiritual and cultural benefits could not be easily valued in economic terms, ecosystem
services such as carbon sequestration, tourism, clean air and water resources do indeed have
measureable economic value. The measurements are not exact, and, some benefits cannot be
measured in dollar amounts, but using a valuation approach, the overall ecosystem service value
provided by the Pimachiowin Aki was estimated to be approximately CDN$121.35 to $130.30
million per year.

A summary of the report (PDF - 2.2 mb) is also available.

 Ecohealth and Watersheds: Ecosystem Approaches to Re-integrate Water Resources
Management with Health and Well-being
Our health and well-being are linked to the watersheds in which we live, but our experience with
managing watersheds for health is limited. This publication presents a new field of research, policy
and practice that is addressing this need by focusing on watersheds as settings to integrate
 ecosystem management and public health.The reader is introduced to a range of international
innovations—including two complementary approaches to health and the environment: ecohealth,
which argues that human health and well-being are not only dependent on ecosystems but are also
important outcomes of effective ecosystem management; and watershed-based integrated water
resources management (IWRM), which is based on the premise that watersheds are appropriate
units for managing social-ecological systems.

The benefits of IWRM for health, social equity and social-ecological resilience are examined,
emphasizing the potential role of well-managed watershed systems as buffers against
environmental hazards and disasters, as well as new-generation settings for governance, social
learning and human well-being. The paper highlights the need for integrated frameworks and
governance—especially those that can speak to the converging agendas of public health,
development and water resources management communities. Key issues are described, laying the
foundations for future research, policy and outreach.

A stand-alone Executive Summary (PDF - 120 kb) in English, Spanish and French is also
available.

The Sustainable Natural Resources Management (SNRM) program carries out policy research, provides
advice and builds capacity for integrated, participatory and sustainable natural resources
management. IISD's work in Sustainable Natural Resources Management recognizes that the litmus
test of good policy—regardless of its origins (global, federal, provincial, municipal)—is if it promotes
local resilience. IISD believes that adaptive management builds resilient ecosystems. "Adaptive
management" views each management action as an opportunity to further learn how to adapt to
changing circumstances—learning by judicious doing. IISD is committed to the research,
dissemination and application of those policies, tools and techniques at all scales that build
community-level resilience.

The SNRM program's current projects focus on Western Canadian water and agriculture. The Prairie
Water Policy Symposium, held in 2005 in Winnipeg, convened 100 water experts to discuss IISD's
research on cumulative stresses on prairie water and the capacity to manage adaptively. IISD is now
pursuing policy research on the conjunction of Integrated Water Resources Management and
Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Canadian Prairie context.

Application of the tools and methodologies being developed by the SNRM program extend well beyond
the Canadian Prairies. SNRM's international work also emphasizes building community-scale resilience
to environmental stressors such as climate change and natural hazards. The uniquely tragic events of
the 2004 Asian tsunami spurred members of IISD's SNRM team to undertake Natural Disasters and
Resource Rights: Building Resilience, Rebuilding Lives, a project funded by IISD's Innovation
Fund. The project examined the role of resource rights (such as ownership of land, and access to sea
and forest products) in community resilience to natural disasters and the effectiveness of post-disaster
reconstruction.

IISD's work in the field of natural resources follows a tradition of non-partisan, multi-disciplinary
research leading to practical policy advice, and cuts across the following areas.

Contents

 Water
Watersheds enable a place-based perspective for the effective management of water
resources. integrated water resources management (IWRM) and the concept of ecological
goods and services (EGS) are emerging as powerful policy concepts that frame modern water
resources management. These two concepts form the basis of water-related research at IISD.
 Agriculture
The Canadian Prairies face multiple, ongoing crises including collapsed commodity prices,
disastrous farm incomes and climate change. IISD's research is aimed at re-envisioning a
 sustainable system of prairie agriculture resilient to environmental and economic shocks and
stresses. Current research uses the concepts of perennial and bio-dynamic cropping systems,
ecological goods and services evaluation, and sustainable bio-energy production.
 Environment and Security
Since 1999, IISD has been examining how better environmental management can contribute
to human security, including sustainable livelihoods; resilience to disasters; disease
prevention; conflict avoidance/peace-building; and post-conflict reconstruction. Facilitated
through partnerships with governments, NGOs and multilateral institutions, this work seeks to
offer practical tools for addressing the links between environment and security.