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(1) What area
does the Regional Conservation Strategy
cover?
The Strategy includes the Comox Valley from Deep Bay to the
Oyster River (Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Electoral Areas A, B, and C).
View Map (PDF)
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(2) Why is the Regional Conservation Strategy needed?
| The Land Trust's analysis of
provincial Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory information for the
Comox Valley shows pronounced losses of sensitive ecosystems
between 1991 and 2002. Sixty percent (approx 4700
hectares) of previously unmodified sensitive ecosystem lands in
the Comox Valley were either lost, fragmented or reduced in this
time period. Ninety-seven percent (approx 7300 hectares)
of highly valuable human modified ecosystems (second growth
forest and seasonally flooded agricultural fields) have been
fragmented and reduced in this same time period. (Disturbance
Mapping Summary Report - June 2005, Canadian Wildlife Service)
Only thirteen percent (approximately 23,500 hectares) of Comox
Valley land is protected; and over ninety percent of that land
is within Strathcona Provincial Park. Without a
regional consensus to address these issues, the continued loss
of biodiversity will eventually undermine nature's ability to
provide essential environmental services. Clean air and
water, healthy soils, local food production and natural resource
industries are at stake.
The Comox Valley is one of the fastest
growing areas in British Columbia. The population of the Comox
Valley is projected to reach 78,373 by the year 2020. This
represents a population increase of 19% (BC Stats information
for the Courtenay Local School District #71 accessed May 31/07).
Many Comox Valley citizens are concerned about the impacts of
poorly planned growth on sensitive ecosystems, agriculture,
forestry, recreation, and heritage resources.
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(3) What are
Sensitive Ecosystems and how can they be protected?
For more information about Sensitive Ecosystems and
Canada's Ecological Gifts Program please follow this link
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/sei
For examples of landowners who have taken action to
protect the sensitive natural and heritage features of their land,
please follow this link
http://www.landtrustalliance.bc.ca/people.html
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(4) How is the Land Trust’s Regional Conservation
Strategy different from past projects?
The Land Trust has focused on protecting specific
properties with ecological and cultural values, as opportunities arise.
Four examples
are:
- assisting to build the One-Spot recreational trail,
- holding a covenant for Hurford Hill Nature Park
in East Courtenay,
- holding covenants on private lands in the Millard/Piercy
Watershed,
- partnering with the Cumberland Community Forest
Society to acquire forest land for recreation and natural
biodiversity.
The Regional Conservation Strategy takes a broader,
valley-wide approach to protecting critical areas for conservation. The Strategy incorporates and builds on conservation
information and recommendations from previous planning processes
conducted by local governments, federal and provincial agencies,
conservancies, and community groups. The
Strategy is an on-going commitment to work with partners
to carry out conservation actions in priority areas.
If you are interested in learning more about the
environmental policies and priorities of Comox Valley's local and
regional governments please see the links below:
Courtenay:
http://www.city.courtenay.bc.ca/planning/official-community-plan.aspx
Comox:
http://comox.ca/town-hall/bylaws/Consolidated OCP Bylaw 1471.pdf
Cumberland:
http://cumberland.ihostez.com/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=63&SearchText=official+community+plan
Comox-Strathcona Regional District:
http://www.rdcs.bc.ca/section_complan/content.asp?id=283&collection=14
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(5) What has
Phase 1 of the Regional Conservation Strategy
produced?
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Nature Without Borders - the RCS Phase 1 Report
This report summarizes the methods and results of Phase
1, including the areas identified by the CV Land Trust as highest
priority for conservation in two categories: (1) ecological areas and
(2) recreational trails (*see the maps listed below).
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Tools for Conservation
The following tools have been created in Phase 1:
Conservation Maps
Six maps have been
created, each one depicting specific information to assist in Comox
Valley conservation planning and implementation:
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Regional Conservation Strategy Project Area
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Biogeoclimatic Zones & Sensitive Ecosystems
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Comox Valley Protected Lands
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Comox Valley Disappearing Sensitive Ecosystems
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Priority Ecological Areas for Conservation
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Priority Recreational Areas for Conservation
Conservation Database
A searchable database has been created and
currently houses Comox Valley conservation information from 22 reports
and plans dating back to 1987. These reports include land use studies,
inventories and Official Community Plans. The database provides access
to site specific information for areas identified in the reports as
having high priority for conservation.
Conservation Map Layers
The Land Trust has collected and compiled a wealth of digital mapping
layers. These maps layers can be used to display and analyse many
aspects of Comox Valley land and resource use.
Conservation Criteria for the Land Trust
Phase 1 included the creation of a framework for the Land Trust to
assist us in conservation decision-making for properties within
identified priority areas.
21 recommendations for policy, legislation and
actions
These recommendations for policy, legislation and action, were
identified during the research and review that was undertaken
in Phase 1. The Land Trust believes that these are necessary steps in
the implementation of a comprehensive regional conservation strategy.
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What are the Land Trust's next steps?
The Land Trust
is currently in the process of setting up a Working Group, made up of
individuals from the community who are interested in carrying the RCS
project forward. Their work will include: (1) maintaining and improving
RCS map and database tools, (2) making those tools accessible to groups
and individuals involved in land use and conservation planning and (3)
assisting in the formation of strong partnerships for conservation. The
Land Trust will take part in ongoing implementation efforts to conserve
identified priority lands.
A major goal of
the RCS is to create an accessible and updated information base for
conservation. This would be achieved by linking the database information
to digital map information online. This would give politicians,
planners, developers, community groups, and residents the ability to
access conservation information over the Internet, much like the Comox
Strathcona Regional District’s Imap program, but specifically
focused on conservation topics such as:
(1) areas
identified by the community as high priority for conservation
(2) CV Land
Trust’s ecological and recreation priority areas
(3) protected
lands (e.g., parks, greenways, wildlife and ecological reserves, and
covenants)
(4) sensitive
ecosystems and wildlife informationup
(7)
What are the benefits of a Regional
Conservation Strategy?
QUALITY OF LIFE
AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS
In the RCS
Phase 1 report, the Land Trust recommends strong and consistent
inter-jurisdictional conservation policies, legislation and action.
Landowners and developers will benefit from regional consistency when it
comes to environmental protection, including clearly defined areas for
conservation and for urban containment.
An
undeniable benefit is quality of life. Recreational trails and
robust natural systems are the hallmarks of a healthy community and they
are the pride of the Comox Valley. Economic health is closely correlated
with the conservation of these natural assets - as developers,
landowners and real estate agents from growing, well-planned communities
across North America confirm.
Click here to view a list of RCS
Community Benefits.
Follow the links to view some examples of smart growth developments:
Resources
explaining the economic and quality of life benefits of greenspace
protection and smart growth planning:
The Economic
Benefits of Parks and Open Space: How Land Protection Helps Communities
Grow Smart and Protect the Bottom Line.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=1145&folder_id=727
The Economic
Benefits of Land Conservation.
The Trust for Public Land.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=21251&folder_id=175.
Posted March 2007.
The Health
Benefits of Parks.
The
Trust for Public Land.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=21053&folder_id=175.
Posted March 2007.
Resources for
conservation and smart growth:
The Smart Growth
Toolkit,
2001 Smart Growth BC.
http://66.51.172.116/Publications/tabid/58/Default.aspx
The B.C. Sprawl
Report 2004 – Economic Vitality and Livable Communities
by Don Alexander, Ray Tomalty, and Mark Anielski. Report that provides a
snapshot of urban form, livability and economic vitality of 24
communities in B.C.http://66.51.172.116/Publications/Reports/tabid/155/Default.aspx
The Green
Infrastructure Guide: Issues, Implementation, Strategies and Success
Stories
by Susan Rutherford. West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation,
2007.
http://www.waterbucket.ca/gi/index.asp?sid=24&id=106&type=single
The Smart Bylaws Guide. West Coast
Environmental Law – Urban Growth and Development. Welcome to the
Smart Bylaws Guide!
http://www.wcel.org/issues/urban/sbg/
Develop with Care:
Environmental Guidelines for Urban and Rural Land Development in British
Columbia.
BC Ministry of Environment – Environmental Stewardship Division, March
2006.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/bmp/devwithcare2006/
develop_with_care_intro.html
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How can I contribute to the Regional Conservation
Strategy?
You can contribute by supporting the Comox Valley Land Trust. We encourage you to
become a member and donate to this
important initiative.
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(10)
Who should I contact for additional information?
Thank-you to our members and
supporters in the community.
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