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.

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-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