Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada (PRNPR), Is Located on the Outer West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ODEL LASS CREENING EPORT M C S R LICENSING OF ECO-TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES PERATING ITHIN O W P ACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK RESERVE OF CANADA November, 2005 PRNPR- Class Screening Environmental Assessment of Ecotourism Related Business Licenses - 2005 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada (PRNPR), is located on the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Ecotourism businesses have become an important economic revenue generator in the local communities. If commercial operators wish to conduct trips in the National Park, they are required to purchase a PRNPR business licence. The issuance of business license by the Park triggers the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA, the Act). As outlined in CEAA, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve must conduct an environmental assessment of all activities it formally authorises (i.e. issues permits or licences). At PRNPR, over 45 ecotourism related business licences were processed last year. This annual review of multiple routine projects is suitable for a Class Screening type environmental assessment. The Class Screening process under the Act provides an appropriate, efficient, fair, flexible and consistent approach to the environmental assessment of these eco-tourism related business licences at PRNPR. This Class Screening Report (MCSR) assesses the following commercial activities: marine wildlife viewing, kayaking, surfing, surf kayaking, hiking, overnight use, scuba diving, and transportation services. All of these activities are ecotourism related, engage in low impact practices, and do not involve any construction projects in the Park. PRNPR has just completed close to two years of public consultation to establish operator standards and mitigations for licensed ecotourism activities. Consultations included formal public meetings & workshops, informal meetings and one-on-one conversations with ecotourism operators, community members, and discussions with experts in the fields of marine mammal ecology and resource management. The goal was to ensure that the operator standards and mitigations adopted by the national park protected the ecological integrity of the Park, addressed the sustainability of ecotourism, ensured visitor safety and encouraged a positive visitor experience. Subsequently, all ecotourism related business licences issued by PRNPR now include these operator standards, which must be followed for the licence to remain valid. The operator standards and mitigations vary depending upon the activity. The presence of commercial eco-tourism related businesses operating in the Park may have both negative and positive environmental effects. Negative effects include the potential for disturbance of wildlife, habituation and food conditioning of wildlife, and the potential for pollution. Many of these effects can be mitigated. Positive effects from commercial guided activities include an improvement in ecotourism sustainability because commercial operators are often at the forefront of developing and applying low impact standards of practice. Clients on guided trips often gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the environment and cultural resources when guides teach them about the area. As a result of guide influence, clients are more likely to follow practices designed to mitigate negative environmental effects. Clients may also experience new activities in new locations that they would not experience on their own. Finally, commercial operators may play an important role in increasing our understanding of marine mammal ecology and conservation by assisting in research projects and contributing observations to research databases. The influence of professional guides is, in many cases, expected to result in improved resource protection, enhanced visitor safety and a more positive experience. At current levels, and with mitigations implemented, the commercial ecotourism activities licenced in PRNPR will likely result in no adverse residual effects on the ecological integrity of the National Park. The negative effects to the environment are likely to be non-significant. Any management decisions made regarding business licences for commercial ecotourism related activities within the Park must take into account cumulative effects and recognize that these activities do not act alone on the environment, but act in tandem with other recreational and commercial activities. Changes in the levels of use and cumulative environmental effects may be significant in the long term and therefore, they should require ongoing monitoring. In addition, effectiveness and compliance monitoring are required. PRNPR, will take an adaptive approach to decision making and will continue to consult with operators and resource managers. Annual reviews, reporting and roll-up of information will feed back into the park management plan review and State of the Park reporting for PRNPR. Page i PRNPR- Class Screening Environmental Assessment of Ecotourism Related Business Licences - 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary........................................................................................................i Table of Contents...........................................................................................................ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................v List of Tables .............................................................................................................. vii Acronyms ................................................................................................................... viii 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................1 1.1. PACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK RESERVE......................................................................1 1.1.1. Managing for Ecological Integrity ................................................................................................. 3 1.1.2. Managing for Cultural Resources .................................................................................................4 1.1.3. Managing for Visitor Experience.................................................................................................4 1.1.4. Park Management Plans & PRNPR’s Interim Management Guidelines..................................... 5 1.1.5. PRNPR Ecological Integrity Statement (EIS)............................................................................. 6 1.2 . APPLICABILITY OF THE CLASS SCREENING PROCESS TO ECOTOURISM BASED COMMERCIAL GUIDING ACTIVITIES IN PRNPR............................................................. 7 1.3. APPLICATION OF THE MCSR TO THE BUSINESS LICENCE PROCESS................... 8 1.3.1. Integration of Environmental Assessment and Business Licence Administrative Process................. 8 1.3.2. Class Screening Project Report (CSPR)......................................................................................11 1.3.3. Roles and Responsibilities ..........................................................................................................11 1.4. PROJECTS SUBJECT TO THE MODEL CLASS SCREENING........................................... 11 1.4.1. Projects Subject to the Act..........................................................................................................11 1.4.2. Projects Subject to the MCSR....................................................................................................12 1.5. SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT............................................................ 12 1.5.1. Scope of Factors to be Considered ...............................................................................................13 1.5.2. Valued Ecosystem Components..................................................................................................13 1.5.3. Identification of Potential Environmental Effects and Standard Mitigation Practices ...................13 1.5.4. Definition and Evaluation of Significant Environmental Effects .................................................16 2. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING .................................................................................... 17 2.1. LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT IN THE NATIONAL PARKS...................................... 17 2.1.1. National Park Zoning System...................................................................................................17 2.1.2. The Zoning System as Applied at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.......................................17 Long Beach Unit (LBU)..........................................................................................................20 Broken Group Islands (BGI) Unit...........................................................................................21 West Coast Trail (WCT) Unit ................................................................................................22 2.1.3. Aboriginal Land Use in PRNPR.............................................................................................23 2.1.4. Visitor Numbers at PRNPR....................................................................................................23 2.2. DESCRIPTION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES .......................................... 30 2.2.1. Soils and Terrain.......................................................................................................................36 2.2.2. Plants and Vegetation Communities