Agri-Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative

Agri-Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative2025-05-07T13:20:22-07:00

The Agri-Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative (AESI) works with farmers to enhance natural values on their land through a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) model.

The Agri-Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative (AESI) supports on-farm ecological goods and services that were previously funded under Farmland Advantage (FLA). The program rebranding took effect on April 15, 2025, but the core activities, delivery model, and ecological restoration priorities of this important work remain unchanged. AESI is led by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food and delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF)

These natural values, or ‘ecosystem services’, are the benefits that a natural environment provides to people. They are services that cannot be easily bought or sold but have great value to us all. Natural areas that provide ecosystem services include wetlands that purify water, rivers that support healthy salmon populations, grasslands that act as carbon sinks, and forests that clean the air and provide habitat for healthy wildlife populations.

AESI helps farmers identify the natural values on a farm that can be protected, restored, and enhanced and develops recommendations and plans to preserve them. Once a site is selected and assessed, the prescribed work is completed by AESI in partnership with producers and in some cases, restoration partners. Actions may include establishing stream setbacks, building strategic fencing, undertaking reforestation, implementing rotational grazing practices on rangeland, thinning and pruning tree stands, or removing debris to reduce wildfire fuels.

IAF provides an annual compensation to farmers based on successful implementation and ongoing upkeep of the AESI project.

Sign up for AESI Updates

* indicates required
Jump To:

Payment for Ecosystem Services

Types of Projects

Site Selection Process

Suggest a Site

Resources

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES)

AESI is a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Program. The PES model is voluntary and uses a market-based system to directly protect specific ecosystem services. The basic concept of PES is what the name would suggest, one individual or group pays another individual or group for maintaining or enhancing a particular ecosystem service. Establishing a value for these services can entice investment in restoration and maintenance of those services, which benefit all of society.

PES programs are happening around the world, and are employed on international, national, and local scales. Some countries that have PES programs include Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, UK, USA, Norway, Australia, and more.

Learn more about PES.

landscape of water on a field, the sky is blue with pinkish clouds.

Types of Projects

All on-farm activities carried out under AESI are agreed upon in advance by the landowner and the ASI advisor. Activities could include:

  • Removal of invasive species
  • Planting native trees, shrubs, and other plants
  • Riparian area enhancements (i.e., fencing, or other barriers)
  • Management of weeds and/or competitive vegetation management
  • Targeted and rotational grazing to thin trees or shrubs and reduce wildfire risk
  • Rotational grazing to protect native grasslands
  • Managing forest encroachment into open grasslands

The program identifies key ecosystem services on agricultural lands and establishes Land Use Agreements with farmers and ranchers to implement and maintain Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) to restore and maintain these lands. Funding is provided to undertake the necessary restoration work and to maintain the BMPs, which includes an annual verification process

Coldstream Ranch

The Agri-Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative (AESI) is working hard to restore BC’s natural habit. Coldstream Ranch is acting to reduce [...]

Read More

Site Selection

AESI sites are selected based on a specific site selection methodology. Using GIS hot spot mapping, IAF identifies areas of convergence of the Agricultural Land Reserve, Species at Risk habitat, critical grasslands and riparian habitats, and potential for wildfire risk reduction. AESI’s site selection methodology was created through these steps:

Ecosystem Service Goals were set based on AESI’s scope and funder priorities. Riparian and grassland ecosystems have been and continue to be the primary ecosystems targeted by IAF due to the important ecosystem services they provide. Ecosystem Service Goals include things like:

  • Improve habitat for Species at Risk, fish populations and wildlife.
  • Improve water quality, quantity and water storage capacity.
  • Reduce wildfire risk to infrastructure and communities.

To achieve the ecosystem service goals, mapping layers with appropriate criteria to highlight areas of interest were used. IAF established working groups of subject matter experts (SMEs) such as academics, scientists, and government agency representatives who considered the ecosystem service goals and advised what mapping layers to include in the hot-spot GIS analysis. Each mapping layer is different and has a corresponding data set attached to it. Mapping layers can include things such as:

  • Species at Risk (SAR) critical habitat and occurrences data
  • Wildfire threat data
  • Areas within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)

A GIS hot-spot analysis was conducted using the mapping layers recommended by the SMEs. A GIS hot spot analysis stacks mapping layers on top of one another to identify hot spots, which are where the greatest number of layers overlap. Hot spots reveal locations which have high opportunities for positively influencing ecosystem health on agricultural land.

Want to learn more about GIS hot-spot mapping? The full maps are available to view, scroll, and zoom in on, just like a google map! View the Story Map!

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) reviewed the GIS analysis results, ensuring the locations are the most appropriate to achieve the desired outcomes for that ecosystem using their local knowledge of the region. This stage also helped to prioritize hot spots when the number of hot spots exceeds the capacity of the Farmland Advantage program during any given funding cycle.

High resolution mapping allows specific properties to be highlighted and prioritized. Inclusion into the AESI program is based on specific location, size, current land use, and other factors.

Once a property in a targeted area is identified, IAF approaches the farmer, rancher, or landowner about willingness to participate. Participation is entirely voluntary.

To fully participate in AESI, producers must:

  • Be legally authorized to make improvements on the land in question (or receive permission from landowners if they are renting/leasing).
  • Be willing to allow an IAF advisor onto their property to conduct an ecosystem health assessment.
  • If the producer agrees to have the restoration work implemented, they must be willing to sign a contract or land use agreement with IAF that outlines the restoration work to take place on the property. IAF covers the cost of the restoration work through the program.
  • Be willing to verify that they have maintained the restoration work into the future for a set period as per the contract to receive an annual payment.

The program identifies key ecosystem services on agricultural lands and establishes Land Use Agreements with farmers and ranchers to implement and maintain Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) to restore and maintain these lands. Funding is provided to undertake the necessary restoration work and to maintain the BMPs, which includes an annual verification process.

IAF continuously updates the data and information used to target regions and sites through AESI. Continuous data improvement ensures that high opportunity sites in new regions and sub-regions are being approached for participation as funding increases and the program expands.

Suggest a Site

Complete this form to suggest a parcel of land that is suited for AESI.

Resources

Have an Active Project?

Please visit the program’s Project Resource Hub for more information.

Have a question?

We’re here to help! Send us an email.

S-CAP Logo, IAF Logo, Province of BC Logo, Government of Canada Logo

IAF gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Government of Canada through the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program (RALP) under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a 3.5-billion, 5-year agreement between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

Support from the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Government of Canada will further the adoption of beneficial management practices such as targeted grazing to control invasive plants, wetland restoration, riparian buffers to control erosion, and more.

The Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF) is honoured to reside and operate across traditional and unceded Indigenous territories throughout British Columbia.

© Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. All rights reserved.

Go to Top