The following is the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance’s submission to the BC Budget 2021, where the BC government is soliciting public input on what items they want to see included.
Please take the time to let them know major funding is needed for expanding protected areas in the native ecosystems and old-growth forests of BC via :
1. A $100 million/year Land Acquisition Fund to purchase and protect private lands
2. Support of $100 million/year for First Nations to develop and implement Indigenous Protected Areas and the protection of old-growth forests on their unceded territories.
Please take 10 minutes to make your submission to the “Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services” - go here.
You can see our submission down below to guide you or also check out the Ancient Forest Alliance’s guide here.
Endangered Ecosystems Alliance submission to Budget 2021 for BC:
To the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services:
The Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, with about 12,000 British Columbian supporters at this time, would like to request several budget items to add to Budget 2021.
Our priorities include the protection of the native biodiversity and ecosystems of British Columbia (including productive old-growth forests); the development of a sustainable, diversified, and resilient economy, support for Indigenous cultures, sustainable economies, and Indigenous Protected Areas; and the enhancement of the collective health and quality of life for all British Columbians.
The protection of nature on a large scale will help avert both the extinction crisis and the climate crisis (by drawing-down vast amounts of atmospheric carbon into protected native ecosystems, or reducing their release due to extractive industries), support and attract diverse industries including recreation, tourism, real estate, non-timber forest products, carbon offsets, wild fisheries (recreational and commercial), and high tech (by attracting skilled labour relocating to areas with a higher environmental quality of life), and support our mental and physical health (thus boosting our immune systems) via recreational health benefits, psychological soothing provided by time in nature, and subtle physical health benefits including phytoncides emitted from trees that directly bolster our immune systems.
The greater policy context here is that the international community, including the government of Canada, is moving to expand protected areas as we head towards the 2021 Convention on Biological Diversity's biodiversity conference when all nation states (except the US) will negotiate a new protected areas target, likely 30% by 2030. The federal government has already committed to a target of 25% by 2025, and 30% by 2030. BC must align with this national/ international commitment, and increase its protected areas system from 15% to 25% in 4 and a half years.
As such we are recommending two key budget items regarding the protection of native ecosystems:
A provincial Land Acquisition Fund of $100 million/ year to purchase and protect endangered ecosystems including old-growth forests on private lands to sustain biodiversity, clean water, wild fisheries, the climate, recreation, tourism, our quality of life, and a more robust economy;
Support of at least $100 million/year for Indigenous Protected Areas and for the protection of old-growth forests on unceded First Nations lands via funding for land-use planning, stewardship, Indigenous Guardians programs (all currently supported by the federal government) and the sustainable economic development in First Nations communities of a conservation-based economy associated with expanded protected areas (ie. conservation financing). The federal government has already provided at least $500 million towards supporting Indigenous Protected Areas, and BC must do its part.
Thank you for considering our request.
Sincerely,
Ken Wu
Executive Director
Endangered Ecosystems Alliance