British Columbia’s five-year plan for protecting species at risk was released today by Environment Minister Mary Polak and Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson.

“Our new plan provides a clear and certain path forward for B.C. to show leadership in conservation of species at risk,” said Polak. “The plan considers recommendations from the Species at Risk Task Force, government’s new conservation initiatives, and social and economic factors related to resource development.”

“Protecting Vulnerable Species: A Five-Year Plan for Species at Risk in British Columbia” aligns with the B.C. government’s shift to a more co-ordinated approach to managing the province’s natural resources and focuses on five key areas for success. These include:

• Improving species conservation through management at the ecosystem and landscape scale.
• Providing the best-available information to support identification, management and recovery of species at risk.
• Encouraging British Columbians to embrace stewardship of species at risk across all lands and waters.
• Applying protection for species at risk consistently across all sectors.
• Measuring and reporting on government’s investments in species at risk.

“All British Columbians have a role in the protection and management of species at risk in B.C.,” said Thomson. “Only by working together will we ensure that we can achieve all the objectives of the plan.”

The five-year species-at-risk plan results from the work of the Species at Risk Task Force. The task force’s report was released in July 2011 and contained 16 recommendations, ranging from technical advice, to making changes to the regulatory framework and launching a wider public consultation process. All the recommendations of the task force were considered when preparing the new plan.

British Columbians also were asked to provide comments on a draft plan in the spring of 2013. Their feedback was considered in making revisions to the plan and informing further development of B.C.’s species-at-risk program.

Learn More:

To view B.C.’s species-at-risk plan, visit: www.env.gov.bc.ca/atrisk/5_yr_plan/  

For more information about the Species at Risk Task Force and to view its report, visit: www.env.gov.bc.ca/sartaskforce/

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of Environment
250 953-3834