The Province of BC has proposed an expansion to the B.C. park system following the acquisition of over 650 hectares of land.
On Wednesday, the province outlined that the land was acquired in an effort to protect ecologically sensitive areas and “enhance outdoor recreation.”
The government says that the acquired land is intended to be added to 16 provincial parks and two protected areas.
“Our parks and protected areas are among the natural treasures of our province and play an important role in our overall health and well-being, especially during COVID-19,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “These areas also provide critical habitat to a number of species. Acquiring additional land means more species and ecosystems will be protected and the land will be here for generations to come.”
The newly acquired land is valued at more than $9.7 million.
The new hectares of land will expand B.C.’s parks system, which the government says is one of the largest in the world.
British Columbia has 1,035 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas covering more than 14 million hectares, or approximately 14.4% of the provincial land base, says the Province.
During the last three years, 883 hectares of land have been acquired for parks and protected areas.
Following the acquisition of the new land, the B.C. government now will go through a series of steps before it can become a park or protected area.
These steps include engagement with Indigenous nations, consultation with local government, defining a legal boundary and legal designation.
Land acquisition reports can be found on the government’s website.
Below is a list of the land acquisitions made by the Province of BC in 2020:
- Chasm Park, Clinton – 101 hectares
- Tweedsmuir Park, Bella Coola – 24.5 hectares
- Octopus Islands Marine Park, Quadra Island – 20 hectares
- Cowichan River Park, Duncan – 2 hectares
- Skaha Bluffs Park, Penticton – 65 hectares
- Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Protected Area, Kaslo – 18 hectares
- Mount Pope Park, Fort St. James – 0.17
- Mount Robson Park, Statutory Right of Way Valemount – 0.9 hectares
- Cathedral Park, South Okanagan – 82 hectares
- West Twin Protected Area, McBride – 59 hectares
- Muncho Lake Park, Mile 463 of the Alaska Highway – 2.5 hectares
- Naikoon Park, Haida Gwaii – 123 hectares
- Landstrom Bar, Hope – 1 hectare
- Valhalla Park, Slocan – 32 hectares
- Okanagan Mountain Park, Peachland – 21.2 hectares
- Lac du Bois Grasslands, Kamloops – 8 hectares
- Jewel Lake Park, Greenwood – 16 hectares
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