The B.C. government released a draft species-at-risk plan Tuesday that was immediately dismissed by environmentalists as an empty pre-election gesture that offers little for conservation.
The draft plan emphasizes that any efforts to save species at risk must “take into consideration social and economic interests.”
The plan also says efforts to save species must be prioritized and that scientific information supporting those decisions “must be made readily available.”
The province notes that the recovery of species at risk is the responsibility of all levels of governments, First Nations, landowners, resource users, and communities.
The plan also recognizes the need to assess cumulative effects of multiple activities on the landscape as a way to minimize fragmentation of habitat, and stresses the importance of tracking changes in the status of species and reporting those to the public.
Gwen Barlee of the Wilderness Committee said the draft plan “comes off as a glossy PR piece” lacking in specifics on funding, enforcement, or a clear plan for recovery.
She noted that the province is allowing only a month for public comment on a five-year plan.
“This will do nothing to slow the demise of species at risk,” she said, noting B.C. and Alberta are the only two provinces in Canada without endangered species legislation. “It’s disappointing, a visually dazzling document that is hollow at its centre.”
Environment Minister Terry Lake said in a statement the draft plan provides a vision for a balanced, collaborative, and coherent approach to species-at-risk management.