Muskwa - Kechika Management Area
This web site focuses on government activities, news and information links. If you are interested in the web site for the Muskwa - Kechika Advisory Board please visit their web site at www.muskwa-kechika.com.
Few places in the world can match the significance of the Muskwa-Kechika (pronounced musk-quah ke-chee-kah) Management Area. Found in north-eastern BC where the extensive boreal plains and muskeg of the east meet the mountains to the west, the 6.4 million hectare Muskwa-Kechika Management Area (M-KMA) remains one of North America's last true wilderness spots south of the 60th parallel. Rich in untouched beauty, natural resources and abundant animal life, the M-KMA has national, international and global significance.
Through the dedication and hard work of land and resource planning tables in Fort Nelson, Fort St. John and Mackenzie, consensus was reached on land-use in the M-KMA. They agreed that the M-KMA was unique and should be managed as a special management area which would allow resource development to continue while recognizing, accommodating and protecting important wildlife and environmental values in the area. They also recommended that an advisory board be appointed to advise government on management of the area and that a special trust fund be created to support special projects and planning initiatives within the M-KMA.
The management plan for the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area balances resource management with conservation, making it an excellent example of how interests that were once in competition have found a way to co-exist on the land. The M-KMA protects large areas of important ecosystems and wildlife habitats with 1.6 million hectares of parks. These areas are surrounded by 4.7 million hectares of special management zones where wilderness and wildlife habitat will be maintained while resource development such as logging, mineral exploration and mining, and oil and gas exploration and development will be allowed in a way that is sensitive to wildlife and environmental values. In all, the M-KMA is the largest and most innovative package of protected areas and special management zones in British Columbia.
