CPAWS-BC Publications

Patrick Thompson’s (MSc) report on B.C.’s Flathead and Alberta’s Castle watersheds highlights how climate change is expected to affect the freshwater ecosystems in these Rocky Mountain regions. It describes the incredible biological and habitat diversity that is still in a remarkably natural state, especially in the Flathead Valley. This diversity, combined with the linkages to nearby national parks and conservation areas, makes these regions extremely likely to remain biologically important and functional as the climate changes.

Download the Report

Download our Spring 2010 Newsletter and catch up on the key successes and campaigns of this past winter.  Our front page story celebrates the announcement from Premier Gordon Campbell that mining will be banned in the Flathead Valley.  This agreement, co-signed by the Governor of Montana, paves the way for the creation of a national park in the area, a necessary next step that offers the Flathead and the wildlife that live there full protection. 

You can also read about the recently-signed agreement between the Haida Nation and Parks Canada to co-manage the beautiful Gwaii Haanas marine area off Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands).  With your support, CPAWS staff have been working on protecting this area since the 1980's, and this agreement brings us one step closer to our goal of permanently protecting this marine area. 

MPA Forum Proceedings

The forum "MPAs in British Columbia: Where are we going, and how will we get there?" was held on October 6th and 7th, 2009 at theQuw'utsun' Cultural and Conference Centre in Duncan, BC.  Particiapnts from provincial, federal and First Nations govermnents, non-governmental organizations, industry and adacemia gave presentations and engaged in discussions surrounding MPAs and the creation of an MPA Network on the BC Coast.  To learn more about these presentations and discussions, download the Forum Proceedings. 

Appendix 1

To view all of the presentations from the forum "Marine Protected Areas in British Columbia: Where are we going and how do we get there?" click here.

To view individual presentations, click on the highlighted links.

Dr. Phil Dearden, Chair, University of Victoria, Department of Geography
“Perspectives on Marine Protected Areas”

Richard Carson, Director, NMCA Establishment- West, Parks Canada
“National Marine Conservation Areas”

Kate Ladell, Program Development Manager, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
“Pacific Region Oceans Act Marine Protected Areas”

Dave Smith, Senior Marine Habitat Planner, Environment Canada
“Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area proposal”

Doug Biffard,Aquatic Protected Areas Ecologist, BC Parks
“Development of the Provincial marine protected areas system”

Dr. Julie Gardner, Principal, Dovetail Consulting
“Promising approaches for collaboration with First Nations on MPAs in British Columbia”

Robert Morales, Chief Negotiator, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group
“Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group”

Dr. Dick Beamish,  Senior Scientist, Department of Fisheries and Oceans "Salmon as an indicator of changing ecosystems"

Sabine Jessen, National Manager, Oceans and Great Freshwater Lakes, CPAWS
“Canada’s commitment to a network of MPAs by 2012: If that’s where we’re going, how will we get there?”

Michelle Patterson, Pacific Conservation Director, WWF-Canada
“WWF and MPA Networks in Canada: Perspectives and expectations based on global inputs”

Mary Rothfels, Manager, MPA Program, National Headquarters- Oceans Policy
“Designing Canada’s Network of Marine Protected Areas”

Jim McIsaac, Director of Sustainability, T Buck Suzuki Foundation
“Marine Protected Areas in British Columbia: Where are we going and how do we get there?”

Dr. Isabelle Côté, Professor, Simon Fraser University, Department of Biology
“Current science on MPA benefits to fisheries”

Kim Bodtker, Marine Analyst, Living Oceans Society and Kim Wright, Manager of Marine Planning and Protected Areas Coordinator
“To what degree are MPAs open to commercial fishing in the Canadian Pacific?”

Angus McAllister, President, McAllister Opinion Research
“Talking Oceans: How to engage the public”

Hilary Ibey, Oceans Coordinator, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
“Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA)”

Andrew Day, Advisor, West Coast Aquatic
“West Coast Aquatic”

Kristin Lunn, Oceans and Marine Fisheries, BC Ministry of Environment: Pacific Coast Collaborative
“The Pacific Coast Collaborative”

Dr. Art Hanson, Distinguished Fellow, International Institute for Sustainable Development  “Moving on”

In January 2010, Dr. Jim Pojar released his report into the effects of climate change on B.C.'s biodiversity and backcountry.  He recommends conservation for half of the province to help prevent the release of greenhouse gases, ensure sufficient intact habitats to support healthy numbers of wild species, and help plants and animals adapt to climate change impacts.

Executive Summary

Full Report

Media Release

Media Backgrounder

Summary of report for media

Letter to Premier Gordon Campbell

First Nations have had a profound cultural, economic and physical relationship with the ocean since time immemorial. Aware that conservation work in British Columbia’s coastal waters can only be successful if it respects this relationship, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) commissioned this report to help encourage a broader understanding of First Nations rights, concerns and interests regarding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The report covers legal and treaty themes, cultural and economic considerations and past experiences, and it identifies necessary changes and promising approaches to achieve a collaborative, coast-wide MPA network in British Columbia.

Full Report

Summary Report

Our Winter 2009 Wild at Heart newsletter is available for viewing.  Discover the latest on BC's important Atlin-Taku wilderness, along with the international controversy over the Flathead River Valley in the Rocky Mountains.  Fly with the seabirds of the Scott Islands and help protect their fishing grounds.  Encounter the other spectacular places needing protection in British Columbia.

Read more in the newsletter

Our winter newsletter contains the poster Seabirds of the Scott Islands, an engaging look at the seabirds that nest on the Scott Islands.  Click on the image at left to download your own copy of this poster. 

For more information on our campaign to protect the waters surrounding these important seabird breeding islands, click here.

Take a look at the Summer 2009 issue of Wild at Heart! 

Click the picture at left to view the full newsletter.  

Sea of Glass: B.C.’s Glass Sponge Reefs should last forever

Glass sponge reefs are prehistoric. Vast sponge reefs arose in ancient seas during the Jurassic Period—when dinosaurs ruled the land and the first birds challenged the sky.

But those sponge reefs disappeared. Scientists considered them extinct, like the dinosaurs.

Today, the surprising sponge reefs in B.C. remain a portal to that prehistoric ocean. Our reefs are precious—not just to Canadians, but to the planet. They truly are “living fossils”. Suitable for World Heritage Status! B.C.’s glass sponge reefs are so special that World Heritage Status is virtually guaranteed. But first, Canada needs to permanently protect its glass wonders.

Some things should last forever. Please tell politicians to protect B.C.’s Glass Sponge Reefs.

Download the brochure

Explore the possibility of an MPA Network in Canada in our summary brochure
"Myth and Madness: Conquering the tragedy of marine protection in
Canada". MPAs are sanctuaries created to nurture marine, and offer a suite of benefits to marine communities, from ecological to economic.  A network of MPAs is an even more powerful tool to link up protected areas that allow for connectivity between ecosystems.  Click on the image at left to read up on suggestions for turning myth into reality.  To read our longer MPA Network report, please click here.