Whereas British Columbia has the greatest biological diversity of any province or territory in Canada, the most species at risk, and is the only major jurisdiction in Canada without stand-alone Species At Risk legislation; And whereas only 4 of the 1,336 species at risk recognized by the province are legally protected under the Wildlife Act, yet unsustainable land use and extractive development are causing BCs wildlife populations to decrease in abundance, with many species facing extinction; And whereas the current patchwork of provincial laws and regulations has not effectively prevented species decline or extinction and is not consistent with British Columbias commitment to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into law: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Ministry of Environment to urgently enact Species At Risk Protection and Legislation in partnership with First Nations and in a manner that promotes and respects First Nations inherent, Treaty and constitutionally protected rights and interests along with adequate funding, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Government acknowledges the urgency to protect biodiversity, species at risk and their habitats. Its one of the reasons the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship was established. Protecting and promoting the recovery of threatened and endangered species continues to be a priority for our government. Supporting healthy ecosystems is imperative so our environment can support healthy communities and sustainable livelihoods. This Ministry is building on our progress to date to protect threatened species, enhance BCs biodiversity, and establish consistent and effective management actions that will support ecosystem health. We are advancing implementation of the Together for Wildlife Strategy, including Goal 12, which commits to reviewing and improving the Wildlife Act. The first round of improvements to the Wildlife Act came into force on Sept 1, 2022. These were short-term reconciliation focused amendments addressing Indigenous Knowledge and the ability to enter into sheltering agreements. We also continue to work with First Nations and other partners on a variety of species and habitat management initiatives and policy projects that benefit biodiversity and species at risk management, including investing 37 million for watershed, wetland, species and ecosystem restoration last year. Our government has also committed to implementing all 14 recommendations of the independent panels old growth strategic review report, A New Future for Old Forests. Many of the recommendations, including forestry deferrals, ecosystem health prioritization, and the development of a new framework for biodiversity targets, will benefit species and ecosystems at risk. Recommendation 2 is to declare the conservation and management of ecosystem health and biodiversity of British Columbias forests as an overarching priority and enact legislation that legally establishes this priority for all sectors. The report recognizes that conserving and managing ecosystem health will be a cornerstone of the Provinces biodiversity conservation strategy. The 14 recommendations identified follow-up actions. The next priority is to build a strategic action plan to guide implementation of the recommendations. From now through 2023, Government will partner with First nations and will engage with industry, environmental organizations, labour groups and local governments in identifying the required key actions. Alongside the development of the strategic action plan, there will be two phases that were initiated in fall 2022 to implement Recommendation 2. Phase one comprises the development of a declaration for conservation and management of ecosystem health and biodiversity in British Columbia. Phase 2 in 2023, will explore both the legislative and policy tools required to support the implementation of the declaration. Together for Wildlife Strategy URL: https:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentenvironmentplants-animals-ecosystemswildl… A New Future for Old Forests URL: https:www2.gov.bc.caassetsgovfarming-natural-resources-and-industryfore…