Sustainable Land Management Action Plan for the Rural Municipality of Austin

The rural municipality of Austin, with its rich biodiversity and major ecosystems of provincial interest, decided to develop a sustainable management action plan to preserve the many natural environments on its territory. Strong population growth is placing considerable pressure on natural environments and impacting the municipality’s seasonal tourism-based economy. The plan will cover the entire municipality, which has been divided into sub-watersheds, or “sustainable neighbourhoods.” The plan will address many issues using a triple bottom-line approach, including land use, water and residual materials management, energy consumption and eco-mobility. Austin will perform a characterization study of the area to determine which components are in need of protection and the areas where residential and commercial development will be allowed. The goal will be to balance sustainable development directions defined in the municipality’s current policies and plans. A series of consultations, workshops and press releases will make local residents aware of the plan and get municipal stakeholders involved with a view to creating a plan that is consistent with local values and expectations. Performance indicators tied to the implementation schedule will track the project as it unfolds. Austin will also perform an audit of existing municipal by-laws and identify by-law amendments required with regard to developing sustainable neighbourhoods. The project will impact the environment, the local economy and the social sector. The plan will therefore serve to enhance environmental goods and services such as water quality, landscapes and biodiversity. It will generate revenues and development that is better integrated into the area’s rural realities, in addition to optimizing infrastructure maintenance costs. The watershed management approach could be replicated by any rural municipality that has a number of water bodies to manage and is interested in preserving and enhancing the environment while providing an appropriate framework for sustainable economic development. In addition, Austin has creatively enlisted support from external resources where it lacks internal technical expertise, an approach that could be used by other municipalities in a similar situation. (Project description from original funding application)