Natural Assets Management Project
Welcome to the Natural Assets Management (NAM) Project Page
The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is getting started on a climate adaptation plan for natural assets, an effort called the Natural Assets Management (NAM) Project.
Natural assets—including forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and parks—play a vital role in supporting healthy, resilient communities by providing services such as clean water, flood protection, recreation opportunities, biodiversity, and climate regulation. Through this project, the RDN is working to better understand the value of these natural systems, assess the risks they face from a changing climate, and identify practical actions to protect and manage them for future generations.
The NAM Project is intended to support informed decision-making, strengthen community resilience, and ensure the benefits provided by natural assets continue to support residents, ecosystems, and sustainable service delivery across the region.
Learn more about the project:
- What is the anticipated outcome of the project?
- Steps ahead to develop the plan.
- Check out the Natural Assets Management dashboard
Public Engagement
There are many ways to participate in the NAM project. Residents, First Nations, community groups, landowners, municipalities, and other interested parties are encouraged to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas by attending open houses and community events, reviewing project materials, and providing feedback on the draft plan developed from this project. Input will help identify priorities, refine management options, and improve the final plan. Feedback will be summarized and shared to show how it influenced decision-making.
Participate now:
- Pin your favourite natural area in the RDN on our Mapping Tool
This page will be updated as the project progresses. Upcoming engagement opportunities, background materials and reports will be shared here as they become available.
Want to stay informed and learn more?
- Subscribe through the Stay Informed tab to receive direct email updates
- Visit the Document Library to learn more about the project.
- See our FAQs or What's New tab to better understand this project.
- Ask a question in the Ask a Question tab and we will respond
- Share this page and spread the word!
Ask A Question
Have a question about the NAM Project? Ask it here and a team member will do their best to respond within 3 business days.
A dashboard has been created that allows users to visualize the location, extent, and condition of natural assets across the region. Click the image below to try the Dashboard.
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Featuring municipal leaders Jinny Tofflemire (Town of Okotoks, AB) and Duane Nicol (City of Selkirk, MB) this video highlights how local governments can take practical steps to preserve and maintain natural assets as part of sustainable, long-term infrastructure planning.
Natural asset management is helping municipalities build more resilient, affordable, and beautiful communities by working WITH nature instead of against it. By treating our forests, wetlands, and green spaces as critical infrastructure, municipalities across Canada are discovering that natural assets are more climate-resilient, more cost-effective, and better at supporting our built systems than relying solely on traditional infrastructure. YouTube video posted by Natural Assets Initiative, May 13, 2025.
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A clip from an interview with Emanuel Machado, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Gibsons in which he explains why the municipality is investing in the protection and enhancement of natural ecosystems as part of its infrastructure.
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Smart Prosperity Institute, Brooke and Associates, David Suzuki Foundation, and the Town of Gibsons
Natural features and ecosystems (like marshes, forests, and shorelines) can deliver services (like stormwater absorption, water filtration, erosion control) to communities.
The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative helps communities to “count” these natural assets and assign a value that’s equivalent to the service a human-built asset would provide. By counting nature as an asset, municipalities can make a strong financial case for protection and conservation, while relying less on engineered assets. YouTube video posted by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, October 22, 2018.
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What is the value of a berry patch or a stream in the middle of a forest? Leq’á:mel First Nation has just completed a Natural Asset Inventory and will soon start Natural Asset Accounting in Phase 2. Mike Goold is the Indigenous Forestry Referrals and Governance Support lead at LFN and he sees this project as a way to reconcile with traditional knowledge by bringing it back to the forefront of land use planning: "We want to have more involvement. We want to be more at the table when it comes to developing forest policy and how forests are managed throughout [our] territory.” LFN’s report is now available at https://naturalassetsinitiative.ca/leqamel... YouTube video posted by the BC First Nations Council, November 4, 2025.
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The NAI Dashboard is a work in progress here at Leq'a:mel First Nation, where we blend Western Map Data with Indigenous Traditional Knowledge to quantify and locate our natural resources and places of cultural significance to support our land stewardship efforts and future projects on Leq'a:mel First Nation's Traditional Territory. This is the Phase 1 of our dashboard, and we're so excited to share with you the hard work our Natural Resources Department has put into this project. Thank you to Bear Image Productions for their amazing work on this video, as well as our gracious funders: The Real Estate Foundation of BC, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. YouTube video posted by Leq'a:mel First Nation, May 8, 2025.
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Project Update and Engagement Plan Report.pdf (702 KB) (pdf)
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NAI Level of Service and Risk Prioritization Framework.pdf (1.68 MB) (pdf)
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FCM Grant Application Report (262 KB) (pdf)
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Infrastructure Grant Application Report (444 KB) (pdf)
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Summary of Inventory Results.pdf (3.68 MB) (pdf)
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Revised Natural Asset Management Grant Report (233 KB) (pdf)
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Email gkeller@rdn.bc.ca