A report released by the Auditor General of BC found the provincial government was “not meeting its goal” to conserve the ecological integrity of parks of protected areas in BC.

The critical report found that ecological plans for parks and protected areas were outdated or non-existent, conservation policies were lacking and that many protected areas were too small and fragmented to support biodiversity. The report also found that several biogeoclimatic zones, such as the critically endangered Douglas-fir ecosystem remain “significantly underrepresented” in the protected area system.

“BC Parks are in rough shape,” said Gwen Barlee, policy director with the Wilderness Committee.” Our parks are starved of funding, park rangers are an endangered species and now we find that the very core of our protected area system, ecological intergrity, is being threatened because we have a government that has turned its back on a park system that used to be world famous.”

The report offered numerous recommendations to improve the ecological integrity of BC parks including improved reporting procedures, regularly updated ecological performance targets and improved conservation planning for all parks.

The management of BC parks has been a hot potato for the provincial government. A series of unpopular measures have been introduced over the last decade including: installing parking meters in 41 popular parks, weakening the Parks Act, changing park boundaries to allow for industrial development, cutting the operating budget, reducing park rangers by over 50 per cent, and axing government-funded park interpretive programs. Since 1999 visits to BC parks have dropped by over 20 per cent – a decline not seen in neighbouring jurisdictions.

“Next year is the 100th anniversary of BC Parks,” said Barlee. “Instead of celebrating our park system we will be conducting a funeral march. The Auditor General’s report is wake-up call to the BC government – they can offer more excuses or they can do the smart thing and expand and reinvest in a park system to make sure it is around for another 100 years.”

For more information please contact:

Gwen Barlee, Policy Director, Wilderness Committee, 604-202-0322