Vancouver/Fraser Valley – The B.C. Wildlife Federation and Lower Mainland fish & game clubs are co-hosting Town Hall Meetings in anticipation of this year’s provincial general election.
MLAs and candidates for office are invited to meet with voters to discuss the state of wildlife management in British Columbia.
Ridgedale Rod & Gun Club, 35655 Harris Rd, Abbotsford on Saturday, September 28, 10AM
From the BCWF release:
The BCWF is hosting 24 Town Hall meetings across B.C. to ensure candidates hear the concerns of ordinary British Columbians.
Many of British Columbia’s fish and wildlife populations are in decline. Species such as steelhead and caribou are at risk of extinction. Action is needed to keep species such as moose, mule deer and mountain sheep from the same fate. Key watersheds and habitats are in peril.
Funding for wildlife has been in decline for decades. As a proportion of the provincial budget, funding for renewable resource management is just a fraction of its historical level, declining by 75 per cent between 1993 and today.
This must change before we have any chance to reverse the damage.
The conservation community is demanding key changes to provincial wildlife management:
Public access to public resources must be enshrined in law.
Wildlife management must be conducted by an agency independent of government influence.
Funding dedicated to fish and wildlife should be increased and driven by legislated objectives.
BACKGROUND
Only a fraction of hunting tag and license fees are dedicated to the resource. Handing over wildlife management to a multi-stakeholder group, including First Nations and non-governmental organizations, such as the BCWF, would insulate wildlife funding and decision-making from political considerations.
Hunters would willingly pay higher fees if the entirety of those fees was dedicated to conservation.
NGOs are far better than governments at leveraging those funds through fundraising and donor campaigns, potentially turning every dollar into five. We need an agency outside of government to manage these funds as way to increase public confidence.
Wildlife management objectives must be set in legislation.
Habitat Management
Decades of fire suppression have resulted in huge amounts of fuel littering the forest floor, crowding out biodiversity and putting people at risk. By putting out every fire on the landscape, we are creating forests that are bristling with fuel just waiting for a spark.
Fire naturally occurs every five to 200 years in much of B.C. In the central Interior, many areas historically burn every five to 30 years. Under the right circumstances, fire is good. Fire is part of a natural process that rejuvenates grasslands and promotes biodiversity.
Commercial enterprises, from logging companies to mushroom pickers, are being allowed to operate in post-wildfire landscapes that are apparently so sensitive the public is barred from entry.
The province must restrict commercial intrusion and motorized access to fire-damaged areas of the Interior to prevent erosion, limit the spread of invasive weeds, prevent environmental damage by off-road vehicles, and to allow natural regeneration.
Objectives for habitat management must be set in legislation.
Disease
Chronic Wasting Disease affecting cervids has finally arrived in the high-risk wildlife management areas of southeastern British Columbia adjacent to existing outbreaks in Alberta, Montana and Idaho.
Surveillance helps us by providing more samples, even in areas where it is strictly voluntary. Hunter vigilance is the best guard against transmission in B.C. Surveillance for invasive plants and animals must be properly funded if we are to protect our natural assets.
Objectives for disease management and invasive species must be set in legislation.
Public Access and Resident Priority
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation protects wildlife as a shared public resource, allocated fairly to common folk, and managed based on sound science. It is meant to be democratic and forward-looking.
Over the past 30 years, British Columbia has drifted from this egalitarian, sustainable model, particularly as the government embraces short-term political expediency over science-based decision-making. The ban on grizzly bear hunting and recent changes to hunter access to moose and caribou in the Peace Region are recent examples.
The Land Act and co-management
Proposed changes to the Land Act will dramatically change the way Crown lands and natural resources are managed in British Columbia. The proposed process and timeline for creating new law precludes scrutiny, transparency, accountability and discussion with the public.
Public consultation must be genuine, if British Columbians are to embrace substantial changes in the way that public resources are co-managed. It is essential that a true public consultation take place and that the government and British Columbians have time to consider the many implications of changes that will certainly affect access to Crown land.
The amendments under consideration will profoundly affect the ability of British Columbians to steward, access, and enjoy nearly every inch of the province for recreation and business.
All British Columbians deserve a say in their shared future. It’s time to move away from secret negotiations, hijacked process, and agreements which are neither shared with nor debated by British Columbians until it is too late.
