Conservation Goals

CPAWS-BC is working with a variety of organizations in many ways to pursue terrestrial and marine sites for protection. Our campaign areas include: Great Northern Ecosystems, Southern BC Hotspots and Marine Conservation.

We are the only province-wide organization that monitors and advocates solely for parks and wilderness-related legislation, policy and issues. Many of these campaigns and sites are at a critical stage in their activity.

With a small staff of eight full-time employees and less than $750,000 Cdn, CPAWS provides cost effective, efficient, results oriented campaigns.

Terrestrial Campaigns

Northern BC: Protecting a Wilderness Vision

  • Create a new national park in Parks Canada Region 7 through the BC-Yukon Kaska Conservation Initiative
  • Research the conservation opportunities, threats and impediments in the Stikine watershed as an important salmon landscape
  • Protect the Muskwa-Kechika
  • Develop the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation initiative in northern BC

Southern BC: Completing the park system and enhancing connectivity

  • Create the new South Okanagan National Park Reserve in Parks Canada Region 3 (the Dry Interior)
  • Establish a wildlife reservein the Flathead Valley contiguous to Waterton Lakes National Park
  • Ensure ecologically based management in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
  • Secure private lands in the South Selkirks and ensure that the Mountain Caribou recovery plan is implemented in order to ensure the continued existence of the red listed South Selkirk Mountain Caribou herd
  • Create linkages between protected areas in the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

Protect the integrity and boundaries of the Spruce Lake-South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park

Marine campaigns

Ensuring protection of BC's coast and marine areas

  • Raise awareness and support for the Gwaii Haanas area, particularly in southern BC, to ensure the designation of the Gwaii Haanas NMCA and the development of a marine management plan.
  • Ensure the designation of an approximately 4000 square kilometre Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area.
  • Ensure the development of a marine planning strategy for Indian Arm, one that integrates conservation and cultural objectives, and allows for First Nation co-management of traditional territories.
  • Ensure the designation of the Hecate Strait sponge reefs as a marine protected area under the Oceans Act, and as a protected area within local First Nations marine plans, and secure World Heritage status by UNESCO.
  • Ensure the designation of a 1500 square kilometre NMCA (and other possible MPAs), and an NMCA management plan in the Southern Strait of Georgia.
  • Ensure the final designation of 3 DFO pilot sites: Race Rocks, Gabriola Passage, and Bowie Seamount, encourage the designation of other pilot MPAs, and identify other sites as areas of interest.
  • Bring together those with interests in the continued research, stewardship and conservation of the Western Juan de Fuca Big Eddy marine ecosystem with a goal of developing an international conservation regime for this ecosystem.
  • Bring awareness, recognition and protection to some of the world's most diverse marine communities through the study and mapping of deep-sea corals on Canada's Pacific Coast.
  • Improve the long-term survival of fish species by educating consumers about the current status of fish stocks and encouraging them to make choices guided by sustainability issues through the SeaChoice program.
  • Develop a coordinated marine planning process for the BC coast working with federal, provincial and First Nations governments, in partnership with WWF Canada and other organizations.

Legislation, policies and issues:

In BC, CPAWS will work to ensure sound provincial and federal legislation, policies and practices.

Ensure ecological integrity in parks and protected areas through:

  • ecologically based management of Mountain Pine Beetle in parks and wilderness areas
  • restoring fire back into fire-dependent ecosystems
  • ecologically based management of energy (oil, gas and coal-bed methane exploration and development)
  • decreased impacts and prevention of lodge development in provincial parks
  • no park boundary changes that would allow industrial development
  • reinstated parks interpretation programs
  • adequate funding for provincial parks
  • the completion of LRMPs
  • legislation of protected areas identified in land use planning processes
  • legislation for licensing and registration of off road vehicles

Ensure protection of our coast and marine areas through:

  • a national Oceans Action Plan
  • upgraded marine protection measures in existing provincial parks and ecological reserves
  • a collaborative approach to marine conservation on the BC coast with federal and provincial governments and NGOs
  • retention of an offshore oil and gas moratoria until environmentally safe

Prepare British Columbians for key decision-making opportunities by:

  • ensuring that British Columbians are fully informed of parks and wilderness issues in order to vote knowledgeably in upcoming elections
  • ensuring that BC's parks and wilderness are prepared for the increased tourism resulting from the 2010 Olympics

A fundamental context for success in these campaigns is public education and the need for private and public land conservation groups to work closely together.