Working Together on a Coastal Marine Strategy for British Columbia.

• Main Authors: Angus, David, Mason, Taylor
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2022
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2022ssec/allsessions/355; https://cedar.wwu.edu/context/ssec/article/3517/type/native/viewcontent/SSEC_20Presentation_20__20Coastal_20Marine_20Strategy_20for_20BC_20__202022.04.21.pptx_AWSAccessKeyId_AKIAYVUS7KB2I6J5NAUO_Signature_ymw48sOQDv3_2B2O4sXMHtOaCVg8Q_3D_Expires_1690453771

On the coast of British Columbia (BC), the effects of climate change, pollution, seafood production, coastal development, and transportation on our environment and related values are increasing. In addition, historical inequities in terms of access to ocean resources, the distribution of power and benefits, and exposure to harms persist and in some cases are exacerbated by business-as-usual approaches to marine management. Ensuring sustainable and equitable development of our marine economy in BC is possible with better, more complete ocean governance and strategies that reflect current and future values and pressures. As one of only a few maritime jurisdictions in North America that has not yet developed a strategic framework to manage our coasts and ocean, the province’s recent commitment to build a Coastal Marine Strategy is expected to close a significant gap in BC’s ocean-related policy. Ocean management within BC’s coastal waters is complex, involving all levels of government and requiring deep consultation with coastal First Nations. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, signed into provincial law in November 2019, creates a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous peoples while introducing better transparency and predictability in the work we do together. This presentation relates to the topic of governance and will share how the province and coastal First Nations intend to work together on improving stewardship of the ocean and social equity through the development of the Coastal Marine Strategy. This presentation will be of particular interest to other jurisdictions and practitioners who are working on the development of strategic policy that requires multi-jurisdictional collaboration and seeks to address place-based issues and opportunities at a coast-wide scale.