Developing human wellbeing indicators related to the natural environment for Whatcom County

An October 2014 report examines the planning and monitoring of human wellbeing as a component of resource management in Whatcom County.

Whatcom County’s Colonial Creek Campground site 85. Photo: Miguel Vieira  (CC BY 2.0) https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6089/6063751537_49e65160f2_b.jpg
Whatcom County’s Colonial Creek Campground site 85. Photo: Miguel Vieira (CC BY 2.0) https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6089/6063751537_49e65160f2_b.jpg

Summary

Many facets of human wellbeing are directly related to the health of the natural environment such as the ability to release stress in a peaceful setting or a thriving local economy derived from diversified agriculture. The status of our wellbeing can influence the way we make decisions that affect the environment and the status of natural resources, in turn, can affect our wellbeing. In many cases, this perspective is left out of the environmental management decisions.

Because of a growing understanding of the relationship between HWB and the status of natural resources, planning for and monitoring human wellbeing as a component of resource management is a growing trend. Many of Whatcom Country’s policies within the Comprehensive Plan address natural resource management and require consideration of diverse social needs. The actual incorporation of human wellbeing into these types of policies is often limited, however, because of a lack of guidance for developing indicators to begin addressing HWB in practice. With the identification of diverse metrics of wellbeing, and data reported according to different demographics about their wellbeing status, we may be able to develop better policies that compliment diverse aspects of human wellbeing and ecological health.

In 2014, the UW Puget Sounds Institute collaborated with Whatcom Country to develop potential; wellbeing indicators related to the environment. The process involved several steps of compiling, creating, drafting and refining potential human wellbeing indicators that related the values of Whatcom residents to the health of Whatcom ecosystems. These steps included 1) an analysis of values of Whatcom residents related to the environment from interviews and literature review, 2) development of potential indicators from Whatcom values, and 3) ranking and refinement of indicators with Whatcom residents.

Indicators were developed to represent six domains of Human Wellbeing related to the environment: Psychological, Physical, Cultural, Social, Economic and Governance. In the workshop phase, 103 indicators were presented to 28 workshop participants in three workshops (Lynden, the Rome Grange and Bellingham). From this initial list of 103, 31 were highly rated for relevance and importance in at least two workshops. We recognize that perspectives of wellbeing are diverse, and that this process prioritizes values that most commonly help. As a result, some important, but less commonly held, perspectives may not be on the list.

Data for some of these indicators are available from regional and national sources. Many, however, will require a regular household survey or independent analysis of existing data. --This description is adapted from the report's summary.

Citation

Biedenweg, K. (2014). Developing human wellbeing indicators related to the natural environment for Whatcom county. Puget Sounds Institute, Tacoma, Washington.

Download the full report