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Nature is Infrastructure: Workshop Series

Registration now open

This four-part workshop series is to guide local governments on how to meaningfully incorporate natural assets in their asset management planning based on their priorities and leading best practices. Learn more


Natural Asset Management Roadmap Program

Accepting expressions of interest

The Roadmap Program is geared towards local governments who are just starting out in natural asset management — participants will develop a high-level, cross-functional plan to assess their current capacities and support practical, actionable NAM goals. Learn more


Planning with Nature in the Prairies

Planning support (Pilot) | Summer/Fall 2024

Planning with Nature in the Prairies is an introductory guide to natural asset management and to integrate NAM into local planning strategies. NAI and Ducks Unlimited Canada are offering feedback and input on draft plans for communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and ManitobaLearn more

Natural Asset Management Fundamentals Course

CLIM050 is offered through Royal Roads University

This 4-week, online course covers core concepts, recent case examples, and the latest approaches to natural asset management, delivered by the Executive Director of the Natural Assets Initiative.

Next session: September 22 – October 19, 2025. See full course details


Subsidized Asset Management Training Opportunities

Professional certificate programs are delivered by NAMS Canada

NAMS Canada, in collaboration with ClimateWest and NAI, is offering new, subsidized certificate programs to help communities integrate low-carbon resilience, climate change, equity, and green infrastructure considerations into their asset management and financial planning processes. 

Upcoming sessions

Expanded Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning (ProCert AMP)
April 14, 2025 | September 22, 2025 | March 23, 2026

Extending the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning for Sustainable Service Delivery
September 17, 2025 | March 11, 2026 | September 10, 2026

Expanded Professional Certificate in Infrastructure Financial Management (accepting expressions of interest )
April 20, 2026 | September 21, 2026

NAI uses practical strategies to value nature’s ability to provide public services, and incorporates this information into mainstream asset management, policy, and financial systems. With increasing ease in measuring and valuing natural asset services, the NAI approach is straightforward and transferable.

NAI works one-on-on with communities, governments, and organizations to help further their natural asset management and natural infrastructure goals.

Types of services include:

Natural asset inventories

An inventory is an essential first step in a full NAM project, providing a registry of the natural assets a community relies on, their location, condition, and the risks they face.

Inventories vary in size and complexity based on the project, and can be expanded to include full risk assessments and value estimates for the services natural assets provide. Natural asset inventories are to be maintained and updated over time.

As part of an inventory project, NAI assesses current policies, partnerships, and capacity to develop recommendations and priority actions for the client, and supports staff workshops and public engagement.

NAI’s inventories align with the CSA standard for natural asset inventories, CSA W218:23.

Implementation & service valuation

NAI provides expertise to guide implementation of your natural asset management initiatives, and develops financial valuations for the services nature provides to improve decision-making. 

There are varying approaches to nature valuation; NAI’s approach focuses on ecosystem service values, and valuation estimates can be based on replacement costs (e.g., for engineered alternatives or restoration) and/or willingness-to-pay, as well as qualitative considerations. 

Valuations can be useful to demonstrate the often-unrecognized benefits and services from nature, but should always be considered a minimum value, and never equated to nature’s “worth”.

Professional development & training

To grow natural asset management from an emerging practice to mainstream, NAI works with leading organizations to research and develop guidance, and deliver presentations and training opportunities for local government staff, engineers, land and community planners, asset managers, and others.

See our local government and professional resources.

Policy and standard development

NAI advises organizations and local governments on how to best integrate natural asset considerations into their policies and plans to support better decision-making, effective service delivery, and nature-related priorities.

To grow natural asset management into a mainstream practice, NAI contributes to the development and improvement of national standards and best practices. This ensures that natural assets are managed consistently and cohesively from community to community. Learn more about standard development.

Natural Asset Management Project

A full NAM project is a comprehensive analysis of your natural assets to inform financial and land-use planning decisions. Full NAM projects include:

  • Readiness assessment
  • Natural asset inventory (including condition & risk)
  • Level of service development workshop
  • Modelling of priority services
  • Co-benefits assessment
  • Scenario analysis (comparing future land use changes)
  • Operations & maintenance costing
  • Stakeholder & Rightsholder workshop
  • Implementation options & recommendations
Advisory Services

Need some direction on natural asset management? With government, environmental, and economic expertise, NAI’s team can consult on current projects and support your organization in achieving its financial, planning, and ESG goals with NAM. 

Have a project in mind? Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can work together.

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