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Every fall, the BC government launches a budget consultation process. This province-wide online and in-person forum asks for your input on the financial, and therefore fundamental, priorities for the government in the upcoming fiscal year.

The annual budget consultation offers a key opportunity for BC’s underfunded and overcrowded provincial parks system – it’s a chance for British Columbians to have their say and make a huge impact for our protected areas!

BC’s parks and protected areas are precious habitat for wildlife and plant species, thrilling sites for outdoor adventures, and iconic parts of our natural legacy. But the crowded trails and declining species are dominating the stories coming out of the woods.

We’re in the last few weeks to g making a difference to the necessary resources our provincial parks in next year’s budget. Will you join us in standing up for BC’s parks?

5 reasons to call on your elected officials to #StandUpForParks in the BC Budget

1.Investing in conservation will help BC meet international biodiversity targets

Time is ticking closer to the 2020 International Biodiversity Targets, in which Canada has committed to protecting 17% of its land and inland waters by 2020. To halt the rapid loss of biodiversity in BC, we must ensure that more land is set aside to shelter species at risk and natural landscapes through a changing climate.

2. Well-protected, safe and accessible parks will result in happier and healthier people

Parks double as places for people to connect with nature and each other. There are immense health costs from inactivity due in part to increasingly urban and screen-based lives. Accessible nature with safe infrastructure means more people can participate in outdoor recreation and is a bonus of increased investment in parks and protected areas.

3. Protected areas drive visitor spending and local livelihoods, bringing benefits to both urban and rural communities

From Hope to Revelstoke, we don’t need to look far to see the direct economic impact that visitors bring to a community. Expanding and improving our provincial protected areas will provide benefits to communities across the province by increasing sustainable tourism. For every $1 invested in the parks system, visitor spending returns over $8 to the economy.

4. BC Parks must keep up with demand for outdoor recreation as our tourism industry grows

From backcountry skiing to family camping get-aways, residents and visitors to BC have an ever-increasing appetite for outdoor recreation. In 2016, the booming tourism industry contributed over $1 billion in provincial tax revenue alone and contributed more to GDP than mining, forestry & logging, and agriculture & fishing industries. With an investment in staff and infrastructure, we can ensure these areas are ecologically resilient to provide both people and wildlife with safe places to roam.

5. Protected area systems support clean air, water and other ecosystem services necessary for climate change mitigation and adaptation

Last but not least, parks are necessary for watershed-wide ecological health. Protected areas improve air quality and safeguard clean water. These wild areas provide habitat for numerous species and prevent erosion. Protected areas have become increasingly important to shelter many of these natural values through an increasingly disrupted climate.

Read CPAWS-BC’s official comments to the BC Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services here. Although the official provincial consultation has come to a close, our elected leader’s door, inboxes and phone lines are still available for you to voice your opinion. It is up to all provincial leaders to speak up for parks, will you take a moment to email key ministers and your MLA?

By Sonia Singh Jind, Ocean Conservation Coordinator

Many industries require minimum standards to ensure quality and consistency. Whether it’s Apple controlling the quality of iPads, health organizations demanding safety standards for medications, or governments ensuring their public schools meet certain basic criteria, minimum standards help ensure our aims are being adequately met and create enforceability of those aims. Why shouldn’t our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have minimum standards too?

One proposed marine protected area that really exemplifies the need for minimum standards is the Deepsea Oasis, officially known as the Offshore Pacific MPA. This 140,000 square kilometer area lays hundreds of kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island, and is home to unique marine life that lives on seamounts and hydrothermal vents, some of Earth’s most fascinating ocean ecosystems. Over 500 species have been discovered living on hydrothermal vents since their discovery in 1977, and an estimated 80 percent or more of these species have been described as endemic and rare (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, https://bit.ly/2ANfpxq).

The current situation

As it now stands, Canada has no minimum standards for its marine protected areas, including the Deepsea Oasis. This unique ocean area, which desperately needs the federal government’s protection, is currently only earmarked as an Area of Interest and a fisheries area closure for bottom-contact fisheries: all other activities, including industrial fishing and shipping, are still permitted. While there has been a moratorium on oil and gas exploration since the ’70s, it could be lifted in the near future, which poses another potential threat to the protection of this area. Given all the activities that are currently permitted, how can Canada count this fisheries closure towards our target of reaching 10 percent ocean protection by 2020?

Developing minimum standards for all Canada’s MPAs is one way to ensure that now, and in the future, all marine protected areas provide full and effective protection to the incredible ecosystems and marine life they are designed to protect.  And guess what? The National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards developed a report in August 2018 proposing minimum MPA standards to be adopted nationwide based on guidelines from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Minimum standards for Canada’s MPAs have been thoughtfully developed, we just need our federal government to adopt and apply them.  

With the ongoing stresses that climate change is imposing on the ocean, including worsening hurricanes and storms, rising sea temperatures, and ocean acidification, effectively managed and enforced large marine protected areas are urgently needed. If designed properly, MPAs provide a buffer against climate uncertainty and build resilient ecological communities that will bounce back from damage better and faster.

What you can do

Studies have shown that the most effective protection takes the form of very large, long-standing, and strictly protected areas. The Deepsea Oasis has been identified as an Area of Interest by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is the first step on the way to being designated as a marine protected area. But it doesn’t stop there. We need to ensure that MPAs across Canada adopt minimum standards of protection so that these areas move from being “somewhat” protected, to fully protected from all extractive and destructive activities, including industrial fishing and oil and gas exploration. Only then will we be able to see the amazing potential benefits of a large, strictly protected area such as the Deepsea Oasis.

Click here for more information on how you can take action and learn more about Canada’s Deepsea Oasis.

Earlier today, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) passed an important resolution for BC’s parks and wilderness. The UBCM voted to support the need for increased investment in BC’s protected areas system, both for the purposes of better managing existing parks as well as for expanding our network of parks and protected areas. CPAWS-BC welcomes this positive news, at a time when the province is preparing to launch a month-long consultation process with British Columbians to determine what the priorities for next year’s provincial budget will be.

The Village of Pemberton, located in the heart of the Sea to Sky Corridor in southwest BC, brought forward the resolution at the UBCM’s annual gathering in Whistler this week. The resolution calls on the province to set aside dedicated funding for its parks system in order to meet Target 1 of the Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada. This target is focused on protecting 17% of lands and inland waters by 2020, with provinces and territories playing a significant role in building and expanding their own protected areas systems in order to meet this target.

By passing this resolution, municipal leaders across the province are collectively recognizing the value of a strong, resilient provincial network of protected areas – for climate change adaptation, for species, and for communities looking to diversify local economies. CPAWS-BC congratulates the UBCM and its members for supporting this resolution, with a special thanks to the Village of Pemberton and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District for their leadership on bringing this resolution forward.

Interested in learning more? Check out this amazing video on why our parks are important and call for a better protected and connected British Columbia.

A proposal to take the park status away from this Class A provincial park threatens the long-term ecological and recreational values that this it was created to protect. CPAWS-BC has a long history with Tetrahedron Provincial Park, including campaigning for its creation back in 1995. Together with local conservation groups from the Sunshine Coast, we’re sounding the alarms to let BC Parks and the BC Ministry of Environment that our important protected areas should not be dismantled.

The Park

Tetrahedron Provincial Park was designated in 1995 as a Class A park (lands dedicated to the preservation of their natural environments for the inspiration, use and enjoyment of the public). Tetrahedron is 6,000 hectares of mid-elevation forests and mountain peaks and contains one of the oldest undisturbed forests in Canada with stands containing trees over 1,000 years old. Located between Sechelt and Salmon Inlets, this park is part of the precious 3% of the Sunshine Coast Forest District that is protected in Class A parks.

The Tetrahedron Provincial Park Management Plan outlines the vision of this park, which was created to, “ensure a high level of water quality and quantity for the residents of the Sunshine Coast while preserving the integrity of the park’s natural, cultural and diverse ecosystems, maintaining its educational and spiritual values, and providing limited backcountry recreational experiences.”

The Proposal

BC Parks is presenting three options, and accepting other options through the public comment and engagement period.

Option 1: Re-designate the entire Tetrahedron Park to a Protected Area
The Park Act still applies to the area, except for exceptions that are outlined by an Order in Council. This protection status is less than a Class A park and could be changed through an Order in Council (including downgraded). The area will be greatly affected by the infrastructure change and potential drawdown of the lake.

Option 2: Re-designate a portion of Tetrahedron Park to a Protected Area, and maintain Class A park status on the rest of the park
Under this proposal, most of the park remains under Class A protection status, however, the ecosystem around the lake would still be affected by the building of the infrastructure and potential drawdown of the lake.

Option 3: Re-designate the entire Tetrahedron Park as a Conservancy
Under this designation, large-scale projects (commercial logging, mining) would continue to not be allowed within this area. However, this option weakens the designation of Conservancy which was created with the explicit intent of protecting First Nations social, cultural and ceremonial uses while maintaining biological diversity.

The Process

BC Parks is carrying out a public consultation on three options. These options are to accommodate Sunshine Coast Regional District’s request to upgrade infrastructure that would allow for the further drawdown of Chapman Lake. BC Parks will be collecting feedback on the three options which are put forward until June 8. This has included two open-houses which were held in the Sunshine Coast communities of Sechelt and Roberts Creek. Both of these public in-person consultations were packed with community members, many vocally opposed to all three options. BC Parks staff will be summarized, and a recommendation will be made to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman. Minister Heyman will then make a decision whether or not to forward on a recommendation to re-designate the park to Cabinet. The final decision will then rest with the Legislature.

It is important that the public is informed of the impacts from and alternatives to this proposal. The onus for this work should fall to the proponent before a proposal is considered by BC Parks. Due process would provide the alternatives and associated environmental impacts to the public before they are asked to provide feedback during a consultation process. To date, this has not been carried out rendering this process inadequate.

Threats posed to our shared climate and biodiversity are inextricably linked. BC once has a world-class parks system, yet years of a lack of resources and funding have left it incapable of proper monitoring and management the areas it is meant to defend. This broken system needs you to speak up for it, or our wild treasured places will continue to suffer.

TAKE ACTION!

 SUBMIT COMMENTS TO BC PARKS USING THE ONLINE COMMENT FORM

CPAWS-BC COMMENTS:

(1) What is your level of use in Tetrahedron Park (list activity and frequency of use)?

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s staff and volunteers, past and present, have been using the park since its inception in 1995. From our involvement in the designation of this Class A park to the building of the huts to regular winter snowshoe trips. Our organization has a strong connection to the Tetrahedron Park.

(2) Have you read the Tetrahedron Park Management Plan?

Yes. This management plan clearly states, “The roles of Tetrahedron Provincial Park are to maintain and enhance the area’s water quality and community watersheds for Sunshine Coast residents and preserve its wilderness characteristics by offering limited backcountry recreation opportunities.”

Our interpretation of this plan includes a long-term view of the watershed quality for the community and wildlife to enjoy for generations to come. The proposal to build new infrastructure to further drawdown Chapman Lake would put these long-term values at risk for the community, wildlife and the aquatic ecosystem. This plan was written to preserve the values of the park, including ecological integrity, however, the understanding of climate change impacts would not have been adequately considered or calculated. Protected areas are a tool to for climate change mitigation and adaptation, but the proposal to draw down the lake puts these tools, and the ecosystem, at risk.

(3) What are your general thoughts about re-designation options for Tetrahedron Park?

CPAWS-BC is deeply concerned with the prospect of removing Class A park protection status from this area. The Sunshine Coast Forest District is already limited in the amount of land set aside for nature protection, with only 3% having Class A park area status. The park contains one of the oldest undisturbed forests in Canada with stands containing trees over 1,000 years. To meet Canada’s goal of protecting 17% of our land and inland waters by 2020, it is imperative that important areas set aside to foster and protect biodiversity.

(4) Are there options (or aspects of the options) currently presented by BC Parks that you agree with?

We agree with adding Option 4: maintain Class A park status, as is outlined in the updated information package written in response to an overwhelming number of public comments submitted during the first community meeting.

(5) Are there options (or aspects of the options) currently presented by BC Parks that you disagree with?

Option 1: We strongly disagree with the removal of Class A park status for the entire area.  This designation downgrades the level of protection for this ecologically important area.

Option 2: The removal of Class A status from a portion of the park, would still cause negative impacts on the rest of the area which remains within the park. The drawdown of Chapman Lake would be damaging to the ecosystem and integrity of the watershed, including compromising the high-quality fish habitat.

Option 3: We believe that a Conservancy is an inappropriate designation for this area unless it is being proposed by the Shíshálh and Squamish Nations. A Conservancy “explicitly recognizes the importance of these areas to First Nations for social, ceremonial and cultural uses.” To use this designation as a way to expand the industrial use and impacts on the area weakens the intention in which the conservancy designation was created.

(6) Do you have any other comments you would like to provide to BC Parks regarding the Tetrahedron Park re-designation options?

We want to acknowledge the importance of water security for all communities. Chapman Lake is an integral part of this watershed, and at the core of the original vision for the park to “ensure a high level of water quality and quantity for the residents of the Sunshine Coast, while preserving the integrity of the park’s natural, cultural and diverse ecosystems, maintaining its educational and spiritual values, and providing limited backcountry recreational experiences.” The proposal put forward by the SCRD is a short-term solution and the process is not congruent with that which was laid out in the management plan. In addition, the SCRD should complete an analysis of alternatives and impacts to present to BC Parks along with their request.  The alternatives and environmental impacts studied by BC Parks or the SCRD have not been publicly disclosed. This lack of transparency and information-sharing degrades the trust and validity of this public consultation process.

Like many other politically inclined BC’ers, I watched the Legislature slideshow playing alongside calming classical music while waiting for Finance Minister Carole James to rise to the throne and deliver the first full budget since the new Government took the confidence of the house. It was a sunny day in Vancouver, I was sure it was a sign that our magnificent provincial parks would get the attention they deserve.

I will be honest, I was a bit disappointed.

I’ll try to avoid getting too deep into the weeds but hopefully, you’ve arrived here, at a blog about the BC Parks part budget, to join the bushwack through the budget. Last year the BC Parks operational budget estimate was $39M for the department’s operational spending. This year’s budget is $40M. It works out to be just over a $1M increase. We like increases. But this increase is not close to what we’ve been asking for. In fact, it is nearly $20M short of our pie in the sky.

We knew that one budget could not address the previous government’s lack of public spending, and we see that there is an effort being made to invest in the people, land and wildlife of BC. But if I did not feel compelled to speak up for the world I want to see, I would not be a campaigner. So now, the tough love.

To put this budget into a broader perspective, Alberta Parks’ 2017 budget was $85M for only 20% of the landmass of BC Parks. Even with leniency allotted for our vast wilderness parks and differences in operational models – this difference is astounding.

The budget that is allocated to BC Parks’ operations by the BC Government does not make bold action to improve our neglected parks system. BC Parks is one of the many departments that is trying to catch up after years of underfunding under the previous government’s cuts.

The previous government announced the BC Parks Future Strategy in Nov. 2016. This plan gave the first significant funding lift for the department in over 15 years and was widely, yet cautiously, celebrated. The Strategy outlined funding for new campsites, maintenance and upgrades for existing ones, and the creation of the BC Parks Foundation. It was a start, but it is not enough. I had assumed that was why the BC NDP’s campaign platform included a promise to “restore funding for BC parks.”

Don’t get me wrong, we are glad to see that the BC Government is going to spend $5M to maintain the 1,900 new campsites – these are urgently needed to meet the demand of residents and visitors alike. On top of this, BC drivers showed a huge amount of excitement for the BC Parks license plates – selling 80,000 in the first year (the amount originally projected to be sold over 5 years). This program is now expected to bring in $9.8M/year. This money can be spent to improve our parks – it can be spent in a number of ways ranging from systems planning to habitat restoration to recreation infrastructure. Great as this is, it should not be confused with stable government funding.

We are excited to see tens of millions going towards Indigenous communities to fund much-needed infrastructure, language revitalization, reconciliation work and more. We look forward to working with the government on the revitalized BC Wildlife Management and modernized Land Use Planning Initiatives, that have a combined $30M over the next 3 years. The $9M for increased Conservation Officer staffing will help improve the safety of humans and wildlife across the province. All of these will help to protect and defend our wilderness.

But, the situation for our provincial parks is dire. They need money, leadership, and a plan to get back on track. Over the coming months and years, CPAWS will continue to campaign for improvements to our provincial parks system. The lack of management plans, the need for more park rangers, and getting BC to reach a goal of protecting 17% of its land and inland waters by 2020 as outlined in Canada’s commitment to meet the Aichi Targets. All of this needs cross-sector collaboration including conservation & outdoor groups, government, recreation, tourism, and more. I hear people tell me time and time again, that our parks are central to the identity of being a visitor, admirer or resident of BC.

Not only is investing in our parks the right thing to do to safeguard our wilderness, it makes good economic sense. For every 1 dollar invested in our system, $8.42 is generated in visitor spending. 60% of the capital and operating expenditures are returned in tax revenue. Failing to invest in our public services leads to vast economic waste. It is akin to washing money down our already dilapidated outhouses. To see the full potential benefits of our provincial parks system be realized by First Nations and rural communities, the tourism industry, adventure-seekers and future generations – we must create a long-term strategy for investment. 

Last but not least, I want to send a personal note to the Honorable George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy: we appreciate your efforts to get our parks back on track. We know you care about the wilderness of BC, the park rangers who monitor and manage these areas, and the park visitors who have lost many of the services in our world-class parks system. We know that the system needs more, and together, we can work to make that happen.

Over the past 100 years, temperatures in Northern B.C. have increased by nearly three times the global average, and local First Nations communities are seeing big changes as a result of climate change. Wildlife such as caribou and elk are no longer found in some nations’ traditional hunting grounds, temperatures in rivers and lakes are rising and changing traditional fishing areas, berries and medicinal plants are being lost, and places of refuge for some communities may no longer be safe.

In the next 50 years, temperatures in Northern B.C. are expected to increase by up to 6 degrees, and the growing impacts of climate change will have significant effects on local communities. The ability for First Nations to maintain traditional values and practices, remain healthy, and ensure economic well-being are dependent on understanding climate change and on learning how to prepare for and adapt to these changes.

DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH TO CLIMATE CHANGE PLANNING

Adaptation planning for climate change is a process by which communities can become better prepared for dealing with the effects of climate change. Recently, CPAWS-BC partnered with Takla Lake First Nation (TLFN) in the northern interior of B.C. to complete a climate change vulnerability and risk assessment for their territory, and to incorporate targeted adaptive strategies into their ongoing land use planning process.

Watch Planning for change: a community-based approach to reducing climate change vulnerability in Northern British Columbia

Following up on this work with the TLFN, we created a guide for communities to use in following a step-by-step process for climate change adaptation planning, called Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Toolkit for Communities. This process provides communities with tools to take a proactive approach to planning for the local impacts of climate change including:

• Assessing the local effects of climate change;
• Determining how to best minimize the negative effects of changing environmental conditions; and
• Taking advantage of emerging opportunities offered by a changing landscape.

This process supports communities in determining their own trajectory in the face of an uncertain climate future. Different communities will have their own unique set of circumstances and will experience climate change in different ways, so we have designed this toolkit to serve as a guide in creating a customized approach to dealing with climate change. Throughout the various stages, community values and traditional knowledge is maintained as a core aspect upon which other work is based.

The toolkit is intended to evolve over time, incorporating lessons learned through its application, and additional resources that become available. We hope that users will provide us with feedback as they progress through the process of adaptation planning, in order to streamline and improve the process for future users.

Special thanks to the Real Estate Foundation and Wilburforce Foundation for supporting CPAWS-BC’s climate change adaptation work in Northern B.C.