The City of New Westminster (population ~71,000) is in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia and is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It is on the banks of the Fraser River on the southwest side of the Burrard Peninsula.
The City of New Westminster’s interests in natural asset management relate to identifying the natural areas on which they rely and establishing the value of the services they provide. This, in turn, will better enable the City of New Westminster to protect natural assets by integrating them into policy, plans and management, and municipal decision-making. By assigning a financial value to the services from natural assets, the City of New Westminster will be better able to justify the acquisition of new natural areas and green spaces to provide services. The foregoing aligns with the objectives of the City of New Westminster’s Environmental Strategy & Action Plan.