Tell the BC Government to Responsibly Fund Fish, Wildlife & Habitat!

IronNoggin

Well-Known Member
Your opportunity to Send The Message!

Background:
British Columbia (BC) is home to more than half of all fish and wildlife species in Canada. We are losing the unique and abundant biodiversity that makes our province special - and the resources available to stem these declines have been shunted to other areas of government spending.

Declining Fish, Wildlife and Habitat
  • The human population of BC nearly doubled between 1975 and 2015, from 2.5 to 4.7 million people, putting tremendous pressure on fish and wildlife habitat
  • The endangered mountain caribou are in decline across most of BC; multiple populations now number less than 50
  • Moose, elk, and mule deer are declining across many parts of BC. For example, from 1989 to 2014 resident hunter moose harvest declined from 13,000 to 5,000.
  • Over 85% of wetlands in the Lower Mainland and the South Okanagan have been lost, removing critical habitat for amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds - and altering the role these habitats play in cleaning our drinking water
  • Kootenay and Arrow Lake kokanee and rainbow trout are at record lows
  • Thompson and Chilko River steelhead have declined from over 6,000 fish in 1985 to 600 today; they are now at a record low, and classified as extreme conservation concern
  • In spite of these declines, there are no mandated population objectives or goals for fish and wildlife populations


Funding for Fish and Wildlife Management

  • BC has one of the most under-funded and under-staffed fish and wildlife management agencies in North America
  • BC is one of the only jurisdictions in North America without a dedicated funding model for wildlife management
  • From 1984-2010 the number of full-time equivalents (employees) in the Ministry of Environment went from 2,116 to 1,533
  • From 1998-2011 the provincial government's budget doubled while funding for renewable resource ministries was cut by 56%
  • Only 18% ($2.6 million) of the $14.5 million collected through hunting licence fees are dedicated to BC's fund for fish and wildlife conservation - the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation
  • Non-renewable natural resource extraction will have a long-term negative effect on biodiversity and there is no mechanism in place to compensate for these losses
  • Activities such as ecotourism, wildlife viewing, mining, heli-skiing, oil and gas, and logging should all contribute to natural resource and biodiversity conservation

http://bcwf.net/index.php/2017-political-election-questions/sign-the-petition

Cheers,
Nog
 
signed.
 
While I tend to be suspicious whenever a government offers up anything so close to an impending election, this just might represent the baby steps required to get things back on track:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017FLNR0037-000783

Suggest we keep hammering on the Petition and remind them this is one election promise they DON'T want to forget... ;)

Cheers,
Nog
 
Sorry, I don't trust them... not after selling us out to Ellis and his ilk...
just my opinion... too much of a good ol boys club going on behind closed doors...
 
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Sorry, I don't trust them... not after selling us out to Ellis and his ilk...

Understandable. The way this was written and presented it is supposedly Non-Partisan, and will occur regardless of who wins this next election (or any down the road for that matter). So while I do share some of your suspicions, I am cautiously optimistic that we just might see some changes for the better...

I know a good handful of Fine Folks worked on this initiative for a very long time. I'd like to offer them a salute and my sincere Thanks for bringing it to where we sit today!!

Fingers crossed...
Nog
 
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