GCX Pilot Project - What have we learned?
Written by: P. Strankman & C. Selin
Nature-based solutions is a relatively new phrase in conservation circles. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, nature-based solutions are actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems that address societal changes, while also benefiting people and nature.
Global agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) and the Paris Agreement (COP27) drive towards protecting biodiversity and achieving net zero emissions. The government of Canada has incorporated these agreements in their plans with targets of protecting biodiversity on 30% of lands by 2030 and achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050, indicating a need for long-term viable options for nature-based solutions.
Agriculture producers have long known that their landscape provides both food and ecosystem services. But how to monetize those ecosystem services remains challenging.
The Western Stock Growers’ Association (WSGA) just completed year two of their Grassland Capital X project looking at exactly those challenges. The project was initiated in 2020 and continued in 2022, funded by Alberta Innovates and Results Driven Agriculture Research, to explore market-based approaches to grassland conservation. “We thought there was a need to assess grassland health and determine how ecosystem services function so that we can sell them in the marketplace,” said Bill Newton, past president of the WSGA and Chair of Grassland Capital X Steering Committee.
The WSGA is leading the way in creating a grassland conservation exchange that provides incentives for sustainable land management decisions by producers. The first steps were to develop a framework for a conservation exchange and to create the Grassland Index that measures ecosystem service benefits.
The Grassland Capital X pilot project will use what we’ve learned from existing market-based programs and integrate the Grassland Index. There are several market-based programs that focus on carbon storage in grasslands and the GCX project plans to go beyond Carbon. As Newton notes, “There are so many pluses in a well-managed grassland that the WSGA will continue to market the full package of ecological services. Selling just carbon impedes the conservation and potential sale of all the other services provided in a functioning landscape.”
In 2022 ecosystem services were measured for 40,000 acres of land using qualitative and quantitative measures. Water quality, water storage, and biodiversity intactness were measured using available data and models. Interviews with participating landowners documented general ranch management, regenerative agriculture practices, and potential sampling sites. Field assessments and measurements were also taken such as range health, soil water infiltration, and site photographs. These measures were rolled into the Grassland Carbon X Index report on the overall picture of ecosystem services benefits.
The public is telling us they want more than just carbon storage benefits and Grassland Capital X has found a way to include them in the marketplace. Newton says, “Why focus just on carbon when the public says they want all the other ecological services, like clean water, biodiversity, wildlife habitat?”
Grasslands Capital X proposes a market-based approach to maintain and enhance healthy grasslands through nature-based solutions. The successful implementation of a conservation marketplace can also enhance the productivity and competitiveness of grassland producers and increase the sustainable production of food that comes from grasslands. This is a win-win for society and ranchers.
