Improving socio-economic and environmental assessment for forest stewardship

The Problem We Aimed to Solve

The province of British Columbia sought support in improving Socio-economic and Environmental Assessments (SEEAs) by combining more traditional socio-economic metrics like jobs and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with other metrics that better reflect the impact of forest management alternatives on the wellbeing of British Columbians.

How We Helped

To focus the study, we relied on the case of fisher (Pekania pennanti) stewardship in British Columbia. We extended the existing British Columbia socio-economic and environmental assessment (SEEA) guidelines by 1) articulating what socio-ecological relationships analysts should consider when attempting to quantify socio-economic metrics for SEEA, and 2) providing guidance about how to quantify both the biophysical and socio-economic dimensions of selected impact chains. To accomplish these goals, we used an “impact chain” approach that traced through from ecosystem components, to stressors, to candidate management actions, to ecosystem services, and to socio-economic metrics. The resulting impact chain database permits users to identify which socio-economic metrics are relevant to monitor and evaluate given candidate management actions and combines concepts of economic impact, economic welfare, and community resilience into a more comprehensive suite of indicators.

Our Project’s Impacts

Our project was part of a broader effort by the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to operationalize the combination of economic impact, economic welfare and community resilience indicators in Socio-economic and Environmental Assessments. We have extended this work during ESSA’s other efforts to support the BC Forest Landscape Planning Process.