September 1994
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PPARR PARTNERS IN PROTECTING AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN RESOURCES IN LOWER MAINLAND URBAN AREAS Discussion Paper Workshop Proceedings Recommendations for Action September 1994 Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans Fraser River Action Plan B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Water Management Division l PARTNERS IN PROTECTING AQUATIC AND . RIPARIAN RESOURCES 1 (PPARR) .INITIATIVE Discussion Paper Prepared on behalf of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans & BC Environment, Lower Mainland Region by Dovetail Consulting February 1994 l Discussion Paper 1.0 Introduction Contents: 1.0 Introduction This discussion paper has been prepared as background infonnation for a series of The workshops in the Lower Mainland Region (F.ast Side of the Georgia Basin) ad 2.0 Background: PPARR Initiative dressing the stewardship of aquatic and riparian resources. The workshops pro Better Use vide a forum for local, regional, provincial and federal governments to explore 3.0 Making of Existing Tools partnership for the protection of local aquatic and riparian ecosystems. Dovetail 4.0 Other Initiatives Consulting will facilitate the workshops and prepare a Sununary Report at the conclusion of the process. · Underway 5.0 Looking to the Future 2.0 Background: The "Partners in Protecting Aquatic and Riparian Resources" (PPARR) Initiative Partners in Protecting Aquatic and Riparian Resources (PPARR) is a joint initiative funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and B.C. Environment. In the fall and winter of 1993, these agencies convened an ad hoc ''Workshop Development Committee," bringing together representatives of all levels of gov ernment to plan a cooperative initiative for improved stewardship. The initiating partners of the PPARR process are listed in the margin. The PPARR initiative builds on ideas developed through the Federation of B.C. Naturalist's (FBCN) conference on "Ensuiing Livability in the Lower Fraser Val ley," and the District of North Vancouver's September 1993 workshop on "Local Government and the Land Development Guidelines." 2.1 The Need for a New Approach to the Protection of Local Aquatic and Riparian Resources Development pressures in the Lower Mainland Region are increasing. There are now over 40,000 hou~ing starts annually in British Columbia; and population density in the Georgia Basin, which makes up less than 3% of the province's land Partners to Date: area, is about 25 times the provincial average. Population growth rates have risen • Department of to 5% or 6% in recent years and pressures on the natural environment, particularly Fisheries and Oceans development activities around the sensitive habitats in valley bottoms, have had • BC Environment serious impacts. Threats to fish habitat in the Lower Mainland, which produces • Canadian Wildlife 50% of the Fraser stocks of coho, are considerable. With growing public concern for Service environmental protection and the preservation of quality of life, a number of local • District of North and regional planning processes are underway which address conservation and Vancouver protection of environmental resources. In addition, provincial organisations such • Gty of Coquitlam as the B.C. Round Table on the Environment and the Economy are placing empha • BC Ministry of sis on growth management strategies to address these concerns. Municipal Affairs • Federation of B.C. Naturalists, Land for Nature Initiative Pagel J Partners in Protecting Aquatic and Riparian Resources VISion Statement. · Pressures Mounting on the Referrals Process 1 Geolgi.a Basin Initiative, Currently, local development proposals are reviewed through the referrals pro B.C Round Table on 1he cess. Once design plans are completed, they may be submitted by the developer to Environment and 1he J local government planning and engineering departments, who may in tum refer F.conomy the applications to provincial and federal agencies for review: Where aquatic and "... Viable areas ofnative riparian resources are affected, the key agencies involved are the Department of 1 vegetation have been J Fisheries and Oceans, who have responsibilities to protect fish and fish habitat preservedfor the under the Fisheries Act, and the two B.C. Environment branches: Water Manage enjoyment ofresidents 'l ment and Fish and Wildlife. and wildlife. Wetlands are J protected for their value as There are a number of problems with this arrangement habitat, flood controt water qual.ity and • As the nuritber of referrals has increased with the pace of development, the aesthetic amenities. system is becoming swamped leading to lengthy delays. The referrals process Streams and lakes have also does not address the cumulative effects of development. - been preserved and ··1·.· rehabilitated to improve • Development proposals are often at an advanced stage of planning, design and their ability to sustain fish engineering when they ·are reviewed. Reviews that require significant alter and wildlife, to perform ations or refusals result in frustrations and considerable additional expense for l their natural hydrological both the proponent and the municipality. · functiori, and to contribute • Many municipalities are not part of the referrals process and many activities I to the quality ofurban and are not covered through this process. Where municipalities do participate, the j rural landscapes." referrals process may be inconsistently applied and responsibilities for imple mentation and monitoring of referral :recommendations may be uncertain. 1 • There are many agencies involved in referrals and the complexity of the J process is confusing, cumbersome and results in high administrative costs for all levels of govenunent. (A partial list of agencies involved in the approvals process is included in an Ap~dix) 1j Towards a Pro-Active, Planning Approach l With increasing awareness of the limitations of the referrals process, support is J growing for more pro-active, planning-oriented approaches to the protection of local envirorunental resources. These new approaches would move the review of projects further ahead in the municipal planning and approval process, make more J effective use of planning tools such as zoning and bylaw provisions, and make senior governments more responsive to local efforts. Such changes must be made bearing in mind limitations on resources at all levels and must result in approaches l for habitat protection which are both practical and effective. Creating options to accomplish these goals will be an important product of the PPARR initiative. ·1 ,J A New Climate of Cooperation \ In September 1993, a protocol was signed by the Union of B.C. Municipalities and ,l the Ministry of environment Lands and Parks on "Principles for Sharing Environ mental Responsibilities." This protocol states: "the parties are committed to the concept of sustainability as the foundation for the integration of environmental, J Ui~iii¥iiiiUi!i~i~UUim!~!~!i! Page2 J Discussion Paper social and economic activities ...Effective cooperation between the provincial and local governments will lead to certainty and predictability of environmental regulation and promote public confidence and sound economic planning." This protocol sets the stage for joint initiatives stating: "to maximize efficiency and effectiveness, the parties are committed to cooperate in the spirit of partnership, particularly in the harmonization of environmental legislation, regulations, policies, programs and projects." 2.2 The Objective of the PPARR Initiative The objective of the pPARR initiative is to engage federal and provincial agencies and local governments in a collaborative process to explore and reach agreement on improvements to the way we protect aquatic and riparian ecosystems at the local level. The PPARR initiative will emphasize new planning-oriented ap proaches, particularly those which utilize partnerships between all levels of government and non-government organisations (NGOs). Two key elements of the PPARR initiative are (i) the concept of "stewardship" and, (ii) partnerships. 2.3 An Outline of the PPARR Initiative The first stage of the PPARR initiative comprises a series of four workshops throughout the Lower Mainland Region in March 1994. These workshops will include invited representatives of all levels of government, the NGO community and development interests. The workshops will provide a forum for discussion of topics such as: • opportunities for improved stewardship of aquatic and riparian resources provided by existing legislation, policies and programs and planning tools such as zoning bylaws and Official Community Plans; • case-studies of innovative approaches for stewardship that are already underway and showing signs of success; • identification of the issues or What is Stewardship? A Working Definition constraints associated with the current system, including weak Stewardship refers to cooperative forms of planning and management nesses of the referrals process; of environmental resources in which all users and managers share the • parallel initiatives underway and responsibility for management and conservation. Stewardship new tools, such as the Land Devel embodies a new ethic of caring for local ecosystems in the interests of opment Guidelines, the Commu long-term sustainability. nity Watershed Guidelines, TRIM Stewardship includes but goes beyond voluntary efforts by commu mapping, and database sharing; nity groups. Stewardship requires sharing-sharing of decision • the need for a more pro-active, making authority,