Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative
File photo. May 13, 2021 - 9:00 PM B.C. is falling short on its commitment to protect fish and wildlife habitat, according to a report released by the province’s auditor general this week. The audit of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development’s Conservation Lands Program identified several deficiencies, including: a lack of strategic direction ensuring government collaboration with Indigenous communities; a failure to sufficiently monitor and enforce rules on conserved lands; and a need to update management plans for species and habitat. “Overall, we concluded that the ministry has not effectively managed the program,” Michael Pickup, auditor general, said in a statement.
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Better strategic direction and greater involvement of Indigenous groups is needed if the province is to effectively manage lands under its conservation lands program, auditor general Michael Pickup warned.
As the province with the greatest diversity of native fish and wildlife, B.C.’s conservation lands program is an important part of the effort to conserve “some of the most biologically productive estuaries, wetlands and grasslands in the province,” according to the report.
“The program aims to conserve and manage important habitat for significant fish and wildlife species. Habitats conserved through the program include some of the most biologically productive estuaries, wetlands and grasslands in the province,” Pickup said at a media briefing today.