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Park Management

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Following the 2010 report of the Auditor General. in 2014 BC Parks published a Conservation Policy (2014). The following information is extracted from the policy:

Conservation Program Principles

The conservation principles are founded on the knowledge that British Columbia is the most geographically and biologically diverse province in Canada. BC Parks has statutory obligations for the protection of the natural environment; the preservation and maintenance of recreational values; and to preserve representative and special natural ecosystems, species, features and phenomena; and in conservancies an additional obligation to preserve and maintain the social, ceremonial and cultural uses of First Nations.

BC Parks therefore, has a commitment to protect, present and manage, for all time. the natural and cultural heritage conserved in the provincial protected areas system. The lands, and cultural and natural values which are protected in British Columbia’s protected areas system are dedicated to the people of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.

BC Parks will uphold this trust by:

  • Conserving and managing representative examples of British Columbia’s ecosystems within the provincial protected areas system designated by government.
  • Maintaining essential ecological processes and variety in nature through the conservation and management of complete and functioning ecosystems.
  • Conserving variety in nature (biological diversity) at all levels, giving rare, threatened, and endangered species special management attention.
  • Showing leadership in cooperation and coordination with other agencies, aboriginal people, and the public to protect and manage lands and natural and cultural values within, and adjacent to, the province’s protected areas system.
  • Recognizing a limited knowledge and understanding of ecosystems, natural processes will be allowed to predominate whenever possible.
  • Encouraging environmental learning and the sharing of knowledge within and between BC Parks’ staff and the public, and working toward the resolution of issues through conservation.
  • Giving priority to conservation in BC Parks’ planning and management through: environmental evaluation, sound decision making, and by encouragement and support of research and education.
  • Respecting aboriginal peoples’ traditional harvesting and cultural activities in the protected areas system, and seeking a special relationship honouring their cultural heritage.
  • Practicing recycling, re-using, and reducing consumable goods and products in all aspects of protected areas operations, and selecting environmentally friendly products and practices whenever possible.

Conservation Principles, first published in 1996, were developed to guide BC Parks in its management of the natural and cultural values in British Columbia’s protected areas system.

Long-term Monitoring

Monitoring is an integral part of the management of natural and cultural systems, and is essential for enabling BC Parks to assess whether provincial, agency, and public conservation goals are being met. The range and distribution of protected areas in British Columbia offers a unique opportunity to monitor and assess the environmental health of the province in general. Monitoring informs managers about what changes are occurring in key ecological elements and what studies may be needed to measure change in the ecosystem.

Protected areas will be promoted as sites for scientific research to contribute to the long-term understanding of landscapes, ecosystems and species and their associated processes, structures and functions.

  • BC Parks will maintain a long-term ecological monitoring program to detect change at regular intervals. Trend reports will be compiled at regular intervals.
  • The long-term ecological monitoring program will be reviewed periodically to ensure that a range of ecosystems, representing the diversity of protected areas, are included and that BC Parks’ priorities (such as climate change adapation) are reflected in the program.
  • BC Parks will encourage the establishment of benchmark research and monitoring areas within the protected areas system.

Collaboration with Partners

Coordination with First Nations, other institutions (e.g., the Royal BC Museum) and agencies responsible for: fish and wildlife, priority species, the Conservation Data Centre, forest management, range management, species at risk, migratory birds, environmental protection, marine fisheries, and cultural heritage, will ensure efficiency and compatibility of research, inventory or monitoring efforts.

Formal agreements with research facilities and universities are encouraged, as well as more continuous and consistent liaison with the scientific community.

5.14.6. BC Parks will promote the involvement of interested institutions, organizations, stewardship groups, academia, and individuals in the collection of data on natural and cultural features for protected areas.

In 2016 BC Parks published a Protected Area Management Planning Process Manual

See also the following web page: https://bcparks.ca/about/park-management-plans/planning-process/

Ecological Integrity 

BC Parks has also published Ecological Integrity in British Columbia’s Parks and Protected Areas Definition and Performance Indicators. The following is an excerpt:

Definition

Ecological integrity occurs when an area or network of areas supports natural ecosystem composition, structure and function, and a capacity for self-renewal.

BC Parks is committed to the proactive stewardship of ecological integrity (EI). EI is an important concept that drives management direction in many protected areas to ensure natural areas are well managed into the future. It provides strong justification for such actions as adapting to climate change, or dealing aggressively with invasive species. However, the system is comprised of areas ranging from pristine wilderness to highly developed recreation areas. Therefore, EI is not a management objective that is uniformly applied across all protected areas.

Ecological systems are not static, but change with seasons, climate and disturbances. BC Parks’ intent is to allow natural processes to evolve over time. This will give ecosystems the best chance to remain healthy and continue to support all life, including human. However, this is neither practical nor appropriate in all protected areas. Recognizing the historic growth of BC Parks, the needs of conservation and recreation, and the built environment that facilitates public access and appreciation of the parks system, this document will clarify where ecological integrity objectives drive management decisions. The approach includes a common understanding of the meaning of EI and the performance indicators that will be used to ensure that BC Parks is consistently managing for EI across the province.

Information, planning, monitoring and assessing are all key to good management. BC Parks utilizes a suite of tools such as Conservation Risk Assessment and Impact Assessment to facilitate conservation management. Performance indicators are used to assess effectiveness of management. As it is very difficult to measure ecological integrity directly and attribute observed ecosystem changes to specific actions, BC Parks makes the assumption that managing to maintain ecological integrity occurs when conservation tools are fully implemented. BC Parks will begin measuring performance based on these indicators in 2012/13. Performance on the indicators will be reported in the Annual Report beginning in 2012/13.

There are varying degrees of ecological integrity in the BC parks and protected areas system according to a continuum of management goals and objectives. Generally, protected areas fall into three basic categories:

  1. Large wilderness protected areas or areas large enough to be ecologically self-sustaining.
  2. Small areas primarily for recreation.
  3. Interface areas supporting recreation and ecological integrity.

Protected Areas Network Design

Deliberate representation of ecosystems in the protected areas system is an effective way to begin to capture the breadth of the biodiversity in the province. Connectivity is an important measure of the ability of ecosystems to change with changing conditions. One measure of the connectivity of the network is the size of contiguous protected areas or protected area complexes.

Business Processes and Tools

Annual Management Planning: Consistent identification of priority issues and planning across the province will help all regions focus on priorities. It contributes to ecological integrity by providing an opportunity to identify and focus conservation issues.

Conservation Risk Assessment

This tool is the backbone of conservation management in BC Parks. It works closely with Annual Management Planning, Management Planning and Impact Assessment as the repository for knowledge about the ecological values in the protected areas system, the means for tracking threats to conservation and management actions, and an assessment of the conservation design of each protected area.

  • Long-term Ecological Monitoring: Over time long-term ecological monitoring will provide information on ecological changes occurring in protected areas.
  • Impact Assessment: The impact assessment protocol assures that no management actions that have the potential to impact ecological integrity proceed without full knowledge and risk mitigation.
  • Management Planning: Management plans contribute to ecological integrity by identifying actions that are appropriate and consistent with the goals for the protected areas. As these plans will affect future management, it is important that they recognize and address the potential effects of climate change in order to maintain fully functioning ecosystems. 12 Ecological Integrity in British Columbia’s Parks and Protected Areas
  • Compliance and Enforcement: Compliance and enforcement work contributes to ecological integrity by identifying issues that may place ecological integrity in jeopardy. Working effectively on compliance and enforcement creates an environment that discourages trespass and provides an opportunity to identify areas that require restoration.

Evaluation of Performance

It is not clear that BC Parks has implemented its plans.

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