PowerPoint Presentation
High Steaks: A story about BC beef and reflections on how we
measure sustainability measures.
Alicia LaValle1 George Furey2, Mollie Chapman3, Dr. Kai Chan3.
(1) Faculty of Forestry, UBC(2) Faculty of Land and Food Systems,
UBC (3) Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability,
UBC
So I would like to conclude this session on SOCIAL HEALTH IN
CHANGING COMMUNITIES with a story. It is a story about beef, the
city of Vancouver, and rangelands in BC. But mostly it is a story
for all communities looking to make decision on how to measure
sustainability and understanding the high steaks involved.
1http://venitism.blogspot.ca/
The research I am presenting today comes from the work of an
interdisciplinary team of academics from UBC who and are committed
to move knowledge and theory away from the ivory tower and into the
real-world to enact change. This involves collaboration with
stakeholders without whom in our opinion any good intentions from
the ivory tower are sunk. Today I present lessons learned by
researchers and stakeholders in understanding how the research
questions we ask as well as the tools we use, may be as important
as the outcomes we seek.
2This is a story
.about a country-cow
Ecological Services Initiative (ESI)ESI is a producer-led
initiative focused on demonstrating, analysing, and communicating
the concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in order to
potentially establish a long term PES program in Canada. Zehnder
Ranch
This is a story about a country-cow. We were approached by Dave
Zehnder of the Ecological Services Initiative is a producer-led
initiative focused on demonstrating, analysing, and communicating
concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). ESI came to us
with a research question, could payments for ecosystem services be
used as a mechanism to aid producers within the BC Agricultural
Lands Reserve in resisting unsustainable social and economic
development pressures while at the same time addressing ecological
threats to the native landscape.
For example: A recent U.S. study estimated the cost associated
with protecting 12% of the nation would be nearly 7 times higher if
land were purchased and maintained for biodiversity conservation
than if landowners were paid to manage these same lands for
biodiversity value (42)
In the case of BC rangelands for cattle production, ecosystem
services can both be disrupted or provided, depending on land
management practices. Cattle ranching on grasslands ecosystems can
be a close mimic of natural processes in BC as much of the native
grasslands co-evolved with ungulate grazing. Intact grasslands in
BC support biodiversity, water filtration, water flow regulation,
pollination, carbon storage and nitrogen fixation to name just a
few of the ecosystem services. Fragment present the greatest threat
to these grasslands (41). In south Okanagan alone 60% of grasslands
have been converted to urban development, vineyards, agriculture
and highways.
3
-33 %Moore, J, M Kissinger, and W E Rees. An Urban Metabolism
and Ecological Footprint Assessment of Metro Vancouver. Journal of
Environmental Management (2013).
doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.03.009.
This is also a story.about a city-cow
12% of total = BeefIn collaboration with Vancouvers City
StudioResearch Question: A Lighter Footprint through Local Beef?
This is a also a story. About a city-cowAs many of you may know The
City of Vancouver has set out to be the greenest city in the world
by 2020. One of their goals is to reduce their ecological footprint
by 33%Ecological Footpriint measures the amount of biologically
productive land and water area required to support the demands of a
populationHere we have the ecological footprint of Vancouver by
Moore et al. Out of food, beef was the largest component. We were
approached by the city who was interested in what the city might do
to reduce its ecological footprint due to beef CONSMPTION by city
residentsTitle: A Lighter Footprint through Local Beef? From
Proposal. 4Finding ConnectionsIt is the long history of mankind
(and animal kind too,) those who learn to collaborate and improvise
most effectively have prevailed Charles Darwin
Rather than focus on one stakeholders question, we saw an
opportunity to bring the two together. (Or Maybe its just because
we are gluttons for punishment)We decided to ask the stakeholders
to work together. Multiple stakeholders, multiple measures of
sustainability, all with the goal to improve the sustainability of
beef consumption and production.5Triple Loop Learning
Pahl-Wostl, C. (2009). A conceptual framework for analyzing
adaptive capacity and multi-level learning processes in resource
governance regimes. Global Environmental Change, 19(3), 354365.
doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.06.001Can local beef lower
footprint?Can PES protect and support rangelands?Can payments for
ecosystem services to local beef producers lower footprint?When
reflecting on our learning and research in this process, we found
the concept of triple loop learning to best describe our research
process.Single-Loop: Logically each client stakeholder came to us
with a single loop learning question: They were looking for
straightforward answers to their questions and suggestions on how
they might take action and measure outcomes. Double-Loop learning:
We suggested reframing the questions and approach
(Note: Perhaps see Table 1 pg 360 in the Pahl-Wostl article for
talking points:
Reframing =Reinterpretation of established institutions,
exemptions allowing innovative approaches and experimentation,
explicit search for advise/opinions form actors outside established
network, increased informal knowledge exchange
Keep this triple loop learning stuff in the back of your mind as
I continue the story telling as it will reemerge in a
transformative way.
6Native Grassland ConservationRiparian Buffers$$Question 1: Does
Green=Green?Kitzes J, Galli A, Bagliani M, Barrett J, Dige G, Ede
S, et al. (2009). A research agenda for improving national
Ecological Footprint accounts. Ecological
Economics.;68(7):19912007.
Surely, the City of Vancouver with Its large population and
rgional influence, could get involved with a funding or
organizational mechanism to support ecosystem service on private
lands and at the same time reduce the Ecological Footprint of beef.
Unfortunately the answer was no, for several complex reasons, but
most importantly:Two of the best opportunities to enhancing
Ecosystem Services on ranch lands include installing riparian
buffers and practices to conserve native grasslands. These can
support Ecosystem Services such as Water regulation, biodiversity
conservation and grassland CO2 sequestration. BUT enhancing these
three Ecosystem Services will not lower the ecological footprint of
beef BECAUSE of the way ecological footprint is (concept of global
hectare with a system of multipliers intended to measure the
potential productivity of averaged land types , but not the nuances
of land management practices on the ground)
7Question 2: Local beef = Smaller footprint?Adapted from (Moore
2013)Based on personal communication (Moore 2013)Moore, J, M
Kissinger, and W E Rees. (2013). An Urban Metabolism and Ecological
Footprint Assessment of Metro Vancouver. Journal of Environmental
Management. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.03.009.
So what about the idea of local beef, could that reduce
Vancouvers ecological footprint. Spoiler alert: The answer was no
for several reasons, many of them complex. I am going to give you
an example of just one:Remember the Ecological Footprint measures
the amount of biologically productive land and water area required
to support the demands of a population
When we looked at the Ecological Footprint Analysis data for
Vancouver, we found that embodied and operational energy(which
includes food miles as well as production and operational) is only
19% of the EF for all food consumed in Vancouver (maybe mention
food miles as only 1%)When we break the data down to only look at
beef, these categories are even lower, only 8%, with food miles
being less than that. (though data is missing)Therefore you dont
have much leverage to reduce Beefs contribution to Vancouvers EF to
the goal of 33% by only manipulated a variable that is 8 % of 12 %
or less than 1%
8Roadblock
We tried to combine a City cow and a country cow to make a green
cow: However;Specific case study result: The choice of Ecological
Footprint as a sustainability indicator limited the policy options
for Vancouver to address the sustainability of beef consumption or
production.
In fact in an ironic twist that has to do with the complexities
of the case study that I wont get into (but suffice to say it has
to do global commodities markets, Alberta feedlots and inspection
mechanisms at slaughterhouses), likely the best thing that
Vancouver can do to reduce its Ecological Footprint though beef
would be to get using their influence to support provincially
certified slaughterhouses preferably as close as possible to
Vancouver. We dont think that is what they had in mind.
Broader Implications: of the way you measure sustainability can
limit policy options and potential collaborations between
stakeholders.
9Transforming
What other avenues and actors should we include in further
research in sustainable beef?Pahl-Wostl, C. (2009). A conceptual
framework for analyzing adaptive capacity and multi-level learning
processes in resource governance regimes. Global Environmental
Change, 19(3), 354365. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.06.001which
inspired us to re-examine our assumptions and change the way we
conceived of the problemWe realized that while or initial goal was
to find a way for the City of Vancouver and ESI to work together,
our bigger goal was to improve sustainability of beef production
and consumption thus we began to consider other options
Future research opportunities with a transformed question geared
toward groceries stores and carbon markets
10Outcome11Take HomeIn the real world, reframing the
sustainability questions and recognizing the limitations of how we
choose to measure sustainability may be more important than
generating data that will ultimately address the wrong
questions.
Questions?
So for all communities looking for a Fresh Outlook on
sustainability there is also some value in looking inward and the
navel gazing process on how we measure sustainability and what this
really means. 12