Resource Management Division
Plan Area
The Central Coast Land and Coastal Resource Management Plan (CCLCRMP) is one of the largest plan areas in the province, covering approximately 4.8 million hectares of marine, foreshore and upland area on the west coast of British Columbia. It includes the communities of Bella Bella, Shearwater, Ocean Falls, Klemtu, Bella Coola, and Oweekeno.
The Central Coast region is home to over 4,400 people, mostly First Nations. It features temperate rainforests and important watersheds, rugged shorelines and steep mountainous terrain. The area, known internationally as the home of the Spirit or Kermode bear, includes many pristine watersheds containing some of BC's key remaining, undisturbed coastal temperate rain forests.
Primary resource activities, including forestry and fisheries, represent some of the most significant elements of local economies. The economic benefit from Central Coast resources extends well beyond the plan boundaries. Many of the forestry, aquaculture, tourism and fisheries jobs on the Central Coast are held by workers living in communities on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland.
Plan Process
The Central Coast LCRMP was initiated in July 1996. More than 60 interested parties have been participating in this process, including local governments, federal and provincial agencies, 17 First Nations, several environmental groups, forest companies and tourism and recreational interests.
The Central Coast process was designed to provide an opportunity for all interests, including marine and coastal interests, to work together to produce a plan for Crown land and coastal resources that considers all resources and values, and the needs and interests of the people and industries who use them.
Agreement has been reached on the first phase of the Central Coast LCRMP. Government has reviewed the agreement recommendations from the Central Coast LCRMP table on land and coastal resources, and is providing some immediate decisions to provide greater land use certainty.
Preliminary Land Use Zones for the Central Coast
The following land use zones are confirmed by government subject to further consultation with First Nations and others. They apply to terrestrial values only, as zoning for coastal and marine areas will be undertaken in more detailed planning exercises.
1. Candidate Protection Areas (13% of the plan area)
These areas have been generally agreed on as prime candidates for future protection. Some of these areas may also be subject to further discussion for some type of pre-treaty management measures. Final definition, designation and management planning for these areas must take into account the views of First Nations. Their cultural, economic and traditional uses must to some degree be accommodated in these areas. Accordingly, these areas will be designated in the interim under the Environment and Land Use Act until the definition of objectives for protection and management actions are resolved.
Two of these candidate areas, Spirit Bear and Klinaklini, have been of particular interest to stakeholders.
Spirit Bear (96,458 ha): The area of Princess Royal Island, commonly referred to as the “Spirit Bear”, will receive protection to provide essential habitat for the Kermode bear and to acknowledge its cultural importance to the Kitasoo/XaiXais and Gitga'at First Nations. Government will designate this area as the “Spirit Bear Protection Area" under the Environment and Land Use Act. The final extent of this area may increase as public planning participants determine the final status of adjacent Option Areas during the Central Coast LCRMP completion phase.
Klinaklini: Klinaklini will be protected through the Environment and Land Use Act for a period of 15 years to allow for mineral exploration and for access to mineral resources. If no development is feasible then this area will be designated as a protection area.
Along with existing parks in the Central Coast LCRMP area, the total protected area for this region will total 21%.
2. Option Areas (11% of the plan area)
Option areas are where there are significant cultural, ecological and economic values, and where more work is required in order to determine whether these terrestrial areas will be protected or open to activity under ecosystem-based management.
3. Special Management Zones for Visual Quality (4% of the plan area)
These areas are recognized for their high tourism values. To protect these values, special visual quality objectives for forest harvesting have been assigned in the interim. Management of these areas will seek to accommodate industrial and commercial activities, while maintaining scenic values for tourism and recreational purposes.
For the balance of the plan area, opportunities for forest harvesting activities have been identified for the short term in order to preserve a measure of economic stability while the plan is completed. It is expected that these activities would proceed within existing levels of environmental protection but would move toward ecosystem-based management as lessons are learned on the coast. Some areas will be “pilot areas” for testing ecosystem-based management.
All current tenures will remain with their current terms and conditions. Any new applications or applications being processed will be reviewed to determine if the proposed activity is in conflict with the values that have been identified in the protection area. If the proposed activity is compatible, then the tenure application will be able to proceed.
4. Remaining Areas
The remaining areas include operating areas for timber harvesting and resource management.
Acceptance of Ecosystem-Based Management
All development activity in the plan area will be based on the principles of “ecosystem management”. Ecosystem-based management is a strategic approach to managing human activities that seeks to ensure the coexistence of healthy, fully functioning ecosystems and human communities. The intent is to maintain those spatial and temporal characteristics and processes of whole ecosystems such that component species and human social, economic and cultural activities can be sustained. A working definition of ecosystem-based management will be developed by the LCRMP table as part of completion of the Central Coast plan.
Ecosystem-based management will be piloted within some operating areas to determine best practices and to test economic and environmental outcomes. An independent information team will assemble information and make recommendations on land use to the Central Coast plan completion table. Government and stakeholders will participate in and resource this team.
A Framework for Managing Transition
Government will work with stakeholders to address the short and long term impacts on local communities and workers and to make a transition toward a more diversified forest industry and local economy. A number of forestry jobs have already been affected by voluntary deferrals. It is estimated that a total of 250 - 300 forestry jobs may be impacted. The loss of timber from the coast, combined with expected, unrelated timber supply reductions in other timber supply areas, could also have an impact on milling operations.
In the Central Coast plan agreement, stakeholders have proposed a partnership approach to managing transition. In support of this proposal, government will contribute $10 million to mitigate the short term impacts of protection and option areas. Government will continue to work with partners in the forest and environmental sectors to establish a long-term fund for transition.
Central Coast Plan Completion
Government is committed to the completion of the Central Coast LCRMP with the following timelines and components:
- Continuation of the Central Coast LCRMP stakeholder table, with First Nations involvement and a more focused participation and a dispute resolution process.
- Finalization of the Central Coast LCRMP, based on the interim draft plan to be released in the coming weeks. The draft interim plan will contain government's detailed response to stakeholder consensus recommendations for coastal and marine resources.
- Creation and utilization of an Independent Information Team, with government representation, to:
- Verify information used to date and recommend future information required.
- Identify options for additional protection areas and other designations to the table.
- Recommend the types of practices needed for ecosystem-based management.
- Use of a government-to-government process with First Nations for the resolution of any disputes arising from the LCRMP that cannot be resolved in that forum.
- Resourcing of government staff to assist in plan completion, and partial funding of the independent information team.
- Assessment of plan progress and recommendations to government by March 31, 2002.
For further information:
Resource Management
PO Box 9426
Victoria BC V8W 9V1
RMD Website: http://srmrpdwww.env.gov.bc.ca
Contact |
John Bones |
Tamara Armstrong |
| Director |
Communications Officer |
April 4, 2001
