Winter 2002/2003

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Eco-NotesNEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT

WINTER 2002/2003 Message from the Chair Ecological Governance: Sustainability In This Issue: through Democratic Community Ecological Governance By Michael M'Gonigle Our Mission As POLIS embarks on its second year of activities, we have a long list Canada vs. Sweden of exciting projects underway, and several more in development. Community University Unifying our mission is a commitment to understanding “ecological Connections governance,” and to helping put it into practice. Community Forestry This fall, POLIS will be embarking on a program to formalize its Growing Healthy internal structure, and to embed its operation in the broader community. Communities Project POLIS is a unique research organization, linked to the university through the Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy, and Urban Growth Management to the regional and provincial community through the diverse work of its many Research Associates. Hul’qumi’num Territory The Dogwood Initiative Convention on Biological Diversity UVic’s Campus Plan Mining Sector Alternatives Staff Notes POLIS was created to be a connecting vehi- The forest policy work of Brian Egan, Lisa Publications cle for university-community research and Ambus, Gail Hochachka and Jessica Dempsey policy development. This mission will be focuses on tenure reform and the potential for enhanced as we increase our outreach to the community forestry. The publication of our community. To draw on the rich experience Community Ecosystem Trust report in the around us, we will soon be establishing a spring of 2001 spawned intense interest number of advisory boards for individual proj- throughout the province. The trust concept is ect areas, and for the organization as a whole. now a central strategy being considered in the This process of self-definition and outreach negotiations over the future of the Great Bear began in September. A new staff member, UVic Rainforest on BC’s Central Coast. 1 graduate Anne Nguyen will lead this process, But its implications are even larger. Take, in conjunction with POLIS's tireless secretary for example, the continuing conflict over First and office manager, Liz Wheaton. Nations’ treaty negotiations. On all sides, these Meanwhile, of course, the work goes on. negotiations are bogged down in the quest of This work is designed to liberate the potential First Nations for title recognition and the where people in place work together to devel- province’s resistance to such recognition. A op sustainability in that place. This basic ethos very complex issue, nevertheless, this is essen- motivates our research, writing, and policy tially a backwards-looking conflict with both practice. sides arguing over who has what entitlements (continued) MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

The challenge is based on what pre- existing rights. to move beyond A lawyer and political economist, Dr. Michael M’Gonigle The challenge is, of holds the Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and conflict and create course, to get past such Policy at the University of Victoria. Dr. M'Gonigle leads conflicts and create future-oriented the POLIS team in investigating new strategies for devel- future-oriented solu- oping sustainability and in the pursuit of ecological alter- solutions - and the tions-and to do so fast. natives in economic and constitutional policy. How can we get to a key to these solu- place where all sides — tions is the sustain- government, First as the University of Victoria. Big institutions learn, Nations, environmentalists, and local communities and change, slowly. able community. — begin to put in place novel long-term institution- As this newsletter reports, the list of our projects al arrangements in which these competing title is long — from David Boyd’s national environmen- interests might be accommodated and embedded? tal law reform, to Emily MacNair’s community gar- The goal is to create respectful solutions NOW that den planning, to Kelly Bannister’s work in develop- will generate sustainable and innovative options to ing research protocols between the university and resolve the seemingly interminable crisis in our for- First Nation’s communities. In recent months, we est lands and communities, both aboriginal and have also been awarded a large research grant to non-aboriginal. develop our work in urban water management And the key to these solutions is the sustainable (through a new Research Associate). In another new community. This approach also underpins the excel- project, we are working with the Hul’qumi’num lent policy work of our offspring, Forest Futures Treaty Group to explore alternatives to the land (recently renamed The Dogwood Initiative). Under selection model. the far-sighted leadership of environmental lawyer, In all these areas, the theme of ecological gover- Will Horter, this now three-year old organization nance pervades. Despite the obstacles to our long- has been providing real options in the ongoing soft- awaited ecological transformation, it is rewarding wood lumber dispute. Many local communities in work. BC support these options, and American negotiators Whether we are researching and writing for aca- have publicly recognized them as holding a key to demic publication, organizing a conference or work- the solution — but Victoria and Ottawa still choose shop, working with community groups or advising not to listen. government policy-makers, our work is pervaded 2 Even closer to home, POLIS has been actively by a common excitement — the greatest significance involved in trying to stimulate a public debate over can be found in the smallest of places. Foster the the future of the UVic campus. The university has community, and we will change the world. completed a draft Campus Plan for the next 15 years, and will be making a decision on it early in 2003. Unfortunately, this Plan falls far short in real- Definition: izing the university’s potential. Polis (noun) POLIS staff (including Research Associate Emily 1. (orig.)city state, as in Greek polis MacNair, summer student Nancy Klenavic and our 2. (gen.)participatory community new Campus Plan coordinator Justine Starke) has 3. (phil.)highest aspiration of social life via col- participated in the internal university discussion for lective rational and ethical decision-making. two years, and are now working with the larger community to help bring the university’s “smart Polis (verb) growth” potential to light. A big lesson of this proj- Where ethics and politics promote the cultiva- ect is (again) the difficulty of translating broad poli- tion of the virtuous character with political cy and research into on-the-ground local innovation. wisdom, corresponding judgement and action, One might “think globally”, but “acting locally” is and a good and just life for citizens. another matter, even in a place with such potential ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

What is Ecological Governance? By Michael M'Gonigle Our Mission: Research, Education, and Action overnance is a new concept bred of the modern age. In addition to government, it Based at the University of Victoria, the mission embraces two other pillars of social deci- G of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance is to sion-making — business, and what is loosely called cultivate ecological governance through innovative “civil society” in all its attendant forms. In countless research and policy development. ways, this complex matrix of governance moulds In the pursuit of its mission, POLIS: our world, and how we each live in it. With the anti-globalization protests of recent years, the quest Research for new forms of ‘global governance’ is the most visable level on which concerns about emerging • Undertakes interdisciplinary research in conjunc- trends in governance are being played out. After all, tion with a variety of academic and civil society today’s global regimes are situated in a global envi- institutions ronment, one that is dramatically deteriorating at all Investigates how social wealth is situated in the levels. Inevitably, a central challenge of the 21st cen- • natural world, and how decisions are made about tury is to reinvent these processes of governance this nexus (ecological political economy, law) onto an ecologically sustainable basis. All this is widely apparent; it is common sense. • Studies models of ecosystem and community- But our assessment at POLIS is a specific one. We based innovation, and the institutions that might look to the ever-growing scale of our institutions support them and ever-expanding levels of their appetites. And we address this growth as the major force driving • Considers especially the role of place-based solu- our global ecological overshoot. Ever bigger, faster, tions in the quest for sustainability at all levels higher, we have ourselves become lost in systems of • Works to advance these solutions, locally and our own creation; meanwhile, our daily experience globally is cut off from the earthly sources of our sustenance. This assessment provides its own response — Education the need to take responsibility for what happens locally. A healthy planet must necessarily be com- • Disseminates its work to a wide range of audi- posed of many healthy local places. To understand ences (including civil society, public and private the world, we must connect what we seek to know innovators, and the general public), and does so with what we actually do. Everywhere, global sus- through a range of media including popular writ- tainability inevitably begins in one’s home place. In ing POLIS, the phrases “ecosystem-based” and “com- Challenges conventional thinking and traditional munity-based” reverberate through all our work. • institutions to take sustainability seriously by Town and country, North and South, POLIS is about acknowledging, understanding and practising it people participating in place. This is a bedrock foundation for ecological gov- Action ernance, but it is not the whole. In rebuilding this foundation from the bottom up, the practice of eco- • Bridges the gap between theory and practice, logical governance will help reform those many lev- research and implementation, by working to els of regional, provincial, national and global gov- advance new policies, laws, management prac- 3 ernance. tices as well as enhanced democratic and com- With a diverse foundation of stable places, glob- munity participation. al sustainability is possible.

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

New Report Canada vs. Sweden: An Environmental Face-off By David Boyd be the main reason for the difference in environmental performance between Sweden, unlike arly in 2002, Canada’s national the two nations. Canada, uses hockey team (the men, that is) Unlike Canada, Sweden has a com- Esuffered a surprising 5-2 defeat at prehensive national strategy to achieve innovative the hands of the Swedish squad in the sustainability within a generation (i.e. economic policies opening game of the Olympic tourna- by the year 2025). Swedish laws set gen- ment. National and international media eral goals, specific targets, and timelines to reduce attention spotlighted Canada’s poor for improving environmental perform- pressure on the performance in this match-up of hockey ance in 15 key areas. The Swedish gov- nations. Less well known was the fact ernment recognizes that “the use of environment – in that Sweden also clobbered Canada 9-1 resources in this part of the world must particular, Sweden is in a head-to-head environmental com- be reduced significantly if the earth’s parison based on ten key indicators, David R. Boyd is an envi- ecosystems are to be capable of main- moving toward full- according to a study by the University ronmental lawyer, profes- taining a growing population and if sor and author of numer- cost pricing of of Victoria’s Eco-Research Chair in living standards are to be raised in the Environmental Law and Policy. ous reports and publica- developing world.” environmental Canada and Sweden are widely tions. As a Senior Sweden, unlike Canada, uses inno- Researcher with POLIS, goods and services regarded as environmental leaders. The vative economic policies to reduce Canadian government claims his work focuses on pressure on the environment. In partic- by removing “Canada’s environmental record is developing practical ways ular, Sweden is moving toward full- to incorporate ecological subsidies and among the best in the world.” cost pricing of environmental goods However, compared to Sweden, principles into our legal and services by removing subsidies implementing Canada's environmental performance and economic systems. and implementing environmental For more information environmental taxes. is unlikely to win any medals. taxes. Sweden is also aggressively pur- Canadians, both in total and on a about his work on envi- suing improvements in efficiency, using per capita basis, create more air pollu- ronmental indicators, see less energy and fewer resources to pro- tion than Swedes, generate more www.environmentalindica- duce the same quantity of goods and municipal waste, use more pesticides, tors.com. services. 4 and produce far more greenhouse gases. For example, Sweden implemented We use more than five times as much water per per- a tax on carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas son. We use energy much less efficiently. More of responsible for global warming. Revenue from the our sewage goes untreated. Our fisheries are being tax is invested in renewable energy and public tran- depleted more rapidly. We provide substantially less sit. As a result, Sweden stabilized its greenhouse gas assistance, as a percentage of GDP, to developing emissions at 1990 levels, created thousands of new countries to facilitate their sustainable development. jobs, and became a world leader in renewable ener- Canada avoids a shutout in the environmental com- gy. In contrast, Canada relied on ineffective volun- parison by protecting a slightly higher percentage of tary programs to address global warming and land in parks than Sweden. Canadian greenhouse gas emissions are up 20% Sweden’s superiority comes despite close simi- since 1990. larities between the two nations in economy, climate, By increasing water prices to reflect the cost of and standard of living. Both of these northern, water infrastructure, Sweden decreased total water industrialized nations derive 2% of their GDP from use by 34% since 1980. Revenues have been invested agriculture, 27% from industry, and 70% from serv- in upgrading sewage treatment so that almost 90% ices. The average annual temperature in Toronto is of Swedes are served by tertiary treatment, the most the same as in Stockholm. Canadians enjoy a slight environmentally friendly technology. In Canada, edge in average per capita income. As a result, dif- continued on next page... ferences in environmental law and policy appear to ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

where water prices are among the lowest in the OECD and consumption is among the highest, total NEW REPORT: water use is up 25% since 1980, and only one in three Canadians is served by tertiary sewage treat- Differences in Wild by Law: A Report Card on ment. Laws Governing Canada’s Parks and Another innovative Swedish environmental poli- environmental cy targets nitrogen oxides, an air pollutant that caus- Protected Areas, and a Blueprint for law and policy es acid rain. Swedish electricity producers are Making these Laws more Effective charged for each kilogram of nitrogen oxide they appear to be the emit, then given a rebate based on the amount of main reason for the Canadians are deeply passionate about electricity they produce. The policy rewards efficient our parks and the diversity of life that these companies, penalizes inefficient companies, and pro- difference in spectacular landscapes protect. Former vides an incentive to further reduce emissions. environmental per- Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau Similarly, Sweden increased taxes on pesticides, referred to Canada’s parks as “the greatest formance between environmental treasures of the world.” Thus it is deeply disturbing to discover Canada and Sweden. that the laws intended to protect these price- less treasures for present and future genera- tions of Canadians are, for the most part, grossly inadequate for such an important task. This report card, “Wild by Law”, prepared by POLIS researcher David Boyd, examines legislation governing parks and protected areas from Canada’s provinces, territories and the federal government and awards grades based on ten key legal criteria such as prioritizing ecological integrity, pro- hibiting industrial activities like logging, mining, and oil and gas development, and ensuring park boundaries are permanently resulting in an impressive 80% drop in pesticide use protected. since 1980 and strong growth in organic agriculture. The report reveals that only the federal In Canada, where pesticides enjoy an exemption government, Nova Scotia, and from the GST, pesticide use continues to rise. Newfoundland achieve passing grades. When it comes to protecting the environment, Every other province and territory gets a Canada has plenty of natural talent but suffers from failing grade. Alberta and Ontario deserve a lack of leadership and poor coaching. Sweden pro- special mention for earning F- (F minus), the vides a role model for Canada to emulate. worst grade possible. In many provinces, Canada has a long history of importing the best out-dated legislation continues to permit Swedish hockey players, dating back to Borje industrial activity, thus undermining the key Salming’s debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the distinction between parks and the rest of the 1970s. Now Canada needs to begin importing the land base. best of Sweden's environmental laws and policies. “Wild by Law” includes a blueprint con- Critics said Borje Salming would never adjust to the taining the best provisions for each of the ten different style of hockey played in North America. legal criteria from laws across Canada. The However, Salming and his countrymen put those 5 blueprint is intended to be used by activists, fears to rest. Swedish environmental laws and poli- lawyers, politicians and bureaucrats working cies will need to be adjusted but should prove equal- to improve protected areas legislation. ly effective in Canada.

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH

By Kelly Bannister

any Canadian researchers are recognizing the contribu- Feature Article Mtions to scientific and other research made by people who live in direct relationship with land and natural resources. Increasingly, the cultural Community-University Connections knowledge and local expertise of many Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities are seen as important to Co-developing Protocols and understanding the natural as well as our constructed human world, and Guidelines for Research thus to promoting both human and ecosystem health. As such, there is growing aware- initiative that gives university and a result of entrenched norms in aca- ness that research with communities community partners an opportunity to demic reward structures, research must move away from subject-cen- jointly address locally-relevant prob- timelines, research and ethics policies, tered models of ‘studying communi- lems. Likewise, incorporating local and and publication practices. ties’ to more equitable and respectful traditional ecological knowledge of At most universities in Canada, we practices, wherein community mem- communities into academic sciences is still have several challenges to sur- bers are partners in defining and con- part of the Major Collaborative mount, in both social and natural sci- ducting collaborative research. Research Initiative (MCRI), a joint ences, before many of the well-mean- Federal funding trends in Canada funding venture between Canada’s ing intentions for community-universi- are starting to reflect this paradigm two major research funding bodies — ty collaborative research can happen. shift. For example, the visionary the Social Sciences and Humanities That is, we are largely lacking a Community-University Research Research Council (SSHRC) and the process to facilitate these collabora- Alliance (CURA) program of the Social Natural Sciences and Engineering tions. How, then, do we move our Sciences and Humanities Research Research Council of Canada (NSERC). ideals of collaborative research prac- Council of Canada (SSHRC) is a major The desire and incentive to work tices into practice itself? This is the with local communities to theme being explored through the solve social and ecological Community-University Connections problems through research is initiative of the POLIS Project. Community-University Connections is encouraging. But do the Community-University 6 pleased to welcome: processes really exist to facili- Connections draws upon the Dutch tate this kind of collaborative ‘science shops’ concept — which is an · Mr. Bryce Gilroy-Scott (Victoria) as the new research? attempt to make university resources outreach coordinator and webmaster; Building research rela- and research more accessible and · Mr. Gerry Schreiber (Ucluelet) as community tionships and mutual under- responsive to the interests and prob- liaison for the Clayoquot Alliance Protocols standing are prerequisites to lems faced by civil society. The three Project; working collaboratively, and general goals of Community- · Dr. Rod Dobell (UVic, Public Administration) essential to ethical research University Connections are: as academic advisor and Science Shops collab- practices. However, adequate orator through the Clayoquot Alliance for time and funds to build rela- • To build a regional network of com- Research, Education and Training; and tionships, develop informed munity groups, First Nations and · Ms. Jo Render (First Nations Development consent, and establish appro- university researchers that is linked Institute,Virginia) as international collaborator priate research goals and nationally and internationally on community protocols. processes are often over- • To identify ethical and other policy looked by even the best- issues in research collaboration that We gratefully acknowledge the personnel and intentioned research granting serve as barriers to mutually-benefi- project support to Community-University agencies and university cial partnerships Connections provided by the MCRI Coasts Under administrations. Conducting • To establish a process that facili- Stress project and the Clayoquot Alliance for collaborative research, there- tates meaningful collaboration Research, Education and Training. fore, may lead to significant between university researchers and tensions for researchers — as community groups. COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH

We see collaborative research as an sophical starting point The Clayoquot Alliance for Research, Education and important tool, both for better science for agreement has been Training is a partnership of the University of Victoria (through and for more effective policy decisions identified as respect for the Centre for Public Sector Studies) with the people and com- on social and environmental issues. the well-being and inter- munities — including First Nations — in the Clayoquot Sound But collaboration must be built on a connectedness of indi- region of Vancouver Island (through the Clayoquot Biosphere foundation of mutual understanding, viduals, communities Trust). The partnership was established in Sept 2001 and which requires clarity and transparen- and ecosystems — received three-year funding through the path-breaking CURA cy about how, why, and for whom we which is embodied by program of SSHRC (mentioned above).The goals of the do research. Laying that foundation the Nuu-chah-nulth Clayoquot Alliance are to develop innovative links between the ought to begin with agreement on the principles of Iisaak “liv- University and the Clayoquot Sound communities, to provide a ground rules of research conduct, i.e., ing respect” and Hishuk forum in which community interests and needs become academic consensus on protocols and guidelines ish ts’awalk “everything concerns, and to make the educational and training resources of for collaborative research. is connected, everything the University more accessible to all the people in the Clayoquot Some key questions arise: Are is one”. Sound region. For more information on the Clayoquot Alliance, existing university research and ethics The protocols will be see http://web.uvic.ca/padm/crt/ policies consistent with the paradigm composed of guiding of a ‘participatory’ science? Can uni- principles and practical versity policies accommodate existing tips that are specific to the people and particular territory just as much as customs or protocols of the place of the Clayoquot they are to govern interview studies or Indigenous or other com- Sound region, but they survey techniques. munity partners in will no doubt offer Ecosystem well-being and human research? In other words, insights to other peoples, well-being are intimately linked, and on whose terms should places and circumstances. the people and communities of a the research be conducted They will represent a region develop interests, concerns and — and how do we decide hybridisation of existing even rights around the well-being of this? university policies and adjacent resources and ecosystems; As a concrete example, local First Nations proto- they may legitimately hold expecta- Community-University cols and will also reflect tions of an opportunity to know of, Connections has been facili- new understandings of and even influence, any plans for aca- tating the development of wider community demic (and other) research that may consensus protocols with Dr. Kelly Bannister joined needs/interests. intrude upon these local arrangements communities in the POLIS as a Research A broader goal of the and surrounding ecosystems. Clayoquot Sound region, Associate in 2000. She Clayoquot Alliance We are learning that co-develop- to guide research spon- developed the Community- Protocols Project is to ment of research protocols and guide- sored by the Clayoquot University Connections ini- explore and understand lines with communities can take time Alliance for Research, tiative as a postdoctoral how to extend the con- and a commitment beyond the aca- Education and Training, fellow with the MCRI cepts underlying current demic system’s comfort zone. But we headed by UVic’s Coasts Under Stress proj- thinking about ‘research are also learning that building a Professor of Public Policy, ect. She recently received involving human sub- process to answer the question of “on Dr. Rod Dobell a SSHRC postdoctoral fel- jects’. That is, to recog- whose terms should research be con- The Clayoquot lowship to conduct a case- nize that ‘research involv- ducted?” is as important as the answer Alliance Protocols Project based analysis comparing ing human subjects’ must itself. was unanimously legal and ethical elements include humans, human approved in principle by of university research, well-being and the For more information, see the the Nuu-chah-nulth ethics, and intellectual dynamics of human sys- Community-University Connections Central Region Chiefs in property policies with the tems in context, as subsys- website at: April of 2002. We have customary protocols of tems of overarching natu- http://web.uvic.ca/~scishops 7 used small group meet- Indigenous communities. ral systems. Protocols are or e-mail Kelly Bannister at ings, public workshops, a needed to reflect mutual [email protected]. discussion listserve, and for- expectations around research mation of a local Working Group to into community institutions and collec- identify existing university policies tive decision-making groups, non- and community protocols that should human subjects, regional ecosystems be used as starting points. The philo- and physical issues around a

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES

Community Forestry Putting Communities First

By Brian Egan will manage the forest Community in a conservative man- forestry, where ritish Columbia has approximately 60 million ner, for sustainability hectares of forest — covering almost two- over the long-term the community Bthirds of the entire provincial landbase — rather than to maxi- has greater with 95 percent of this forest found on public land. mize profit over the Throughout the 20th century, these forests were short term. Because of control over man- viewed primarily as sources of timber to drive the the diverse interests agement of local expansion of the economy. During the post WWII within communities, period in particular, vast areas of public forest in BC the approach to manag- forests, is increasing- were allocated to private interest for logging to feed ing community forests ly viewed as a viable an ever-growing network of processing facilities. tends to be broader; Brian Egan is a Research For many years this policy seemed effective, as rather than oriented Associate with POLIS, alternative to indus- sawmills and pulp and paper operations spread primarily to timber where he works on com- trial and corporate across the province, jobs were plentiful, wages were production and extrac- munity-based natural high, and the timber supply seemed inexhaustible. tion, community resource management ini- forestry. Since the early 1980s, however, this industrial forestry practitioners tiatives. forestry approach has been heavily criticized for tend to manage for a failing to sustain the environmental values of the wide range of values, such forest; and today it is increasingly clear that it is also as water, non-timber forest products, and recreation. failing to sustain the economies of forest-dependent communities. BC’s Emerging Community Forestry Hit hard by mill closures and layoffs, and often Movement watching logs being exported from local forests, A growing number of communities in BC are communities across BC are questioning the way looking at establishing community forests, in an public forests are allocated and calling for increased effort to achieve a variety of economic, social and local control over these forests. Indeed, community- ecological objectives. Communities such as Mission, based forest management (or community forestry) is Revelstoke, Creston and Kaslo have established increasingly viewed as a viable alternative to indus- community forests using conventional timber 8 trial and corporate forestry. At its core, community tenures (e.g., tree farm licenses, forest licenses) forestry means that the local community gains more while other groups have established, or have been decision-making control over the way local forests given the opportunity to establish, community are managed. For this reason, community forestry is sometimes promoted as a process of democratization, of giving local citizens a meaningful role in decision-making about critical local resources. Providing increased economic opportunities for the community, through retention of resources and revenues in the local area, is a key goal of the community forestry approach. And, because the costs and benefits of forest management are more directly borne by the decision- maker (i.e., the community), the expectation is that the community Dennis Morgan leads a tour of Bamfield’s Community Forest FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES

forests under the Community Forest Agreement, a province. The Forum also was the venue for the cre- Opportunity to new tenure created in 1998. Many other communi- ation of the BC Community Forest Association, with ties across the province are seeking to create com- a mission to “promote and support the practice and create new community forests. Despite this high level of interest, expansion of sustainable community forest manage- munity forests is the opportunity to create new community forests is ment in BC”. The next few years will be challenging very limited as most of the province’s public forest for community forestry practitioners and advocates very limited as most land has been allocated to private forest companies. in British Columbia; we will need to both support of the province’s The strong interest in community forestry was established and emerging community forest initia- evident at the BC Community Forestry Forum, a tives and resist new policies designed to increase public forest land conference organized by POLIS and several other private control of our public forests. has been allocated groups in the spring of 2002. to private forest Close to 250 peo- companies. ple gathered in Victoria (the largest community forestry meeting ever held in BC) to learn about the benefits and challenges of community forestry, to assess existing initiatives, and Inaugaural meeting of the BC Community Forest Association explore future opportunities for this model of forestry in BC. The Forum featured leading community forestry practitioners and advocates from across BC, Canada, and from a half dozen other countries. Forum Highlights Local, National, and The potential for community forestry in BC is International Community Forestry immense. As one speaker pointed out, if there were Initiatives 100 community forests in BC each with an annual The BC Community Forestry Forum, co-sponsored by cut of 40,000 cubic metres of timber, this would be a POLIS and held in Victoria (March 14-16, 2002), provid- major step forward and provide significant benefits ed a unique opportunity to examine community forestry to virtually every sizeable community in the initiatives in British Columbia, in Canada, and across the province — and yet, this would still account for globe. Speakers from Africa,Asia, Latin America and only about 6 percent of the total timber cut in the Europe provided a global context, describing how com- province each year. The challenges are also signifi- munities are gaining increasing control over local forests cant, particularly the need for supportive policies in countries as diverse as Tanzania, Gambia, Mexico, from government. At a time when countries around India, and Nepal. Progress towards community forestry the world are moving to increase local participation is less pronounced in North America, although there are in forest management, BC’s new provincial govern- certainly many exciting initiatives underway. British ment is going in the opposite direction, introducing Columbia is clearly a leader in this regard, with a good policies that will provide more flexibility to non- number of community forests already established and local corporations in the control and management of several more in the works. For a full summary of the BC 9 public forests. Community Forum, visit the Forum web site (www.cf- The Forum proved a landmark event for com- forum.org) where the Forum proceedings are available. munity forestry, signaling the arrival of a vibrant movement for community forestry fed by energetic advocates and emerging initiatives from across the

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY

Perspective DevelopingDeveloping SustainabilitySustainability throughthrough LocalLocal ControlControl By Lisa Marie Ambus Tanzania’s new tenure laws by-pass the district level government and directly empower local communi- odifying the catch phrase sus- ties. Villages are the designated ‘forest Developing sustainable development to managers’ and have successfully created tainability means Mdeveloping sustainability and implemented local by-laws with vis- appears to be a very subtle shift, a mere ible improvement in the forest as a transforming reordering of words. But if we look at result. The government forester acts as national and this seemingly harmless semantic differ- technical advisor, a liaison between cen- ence more carefully, we see that it forces tral and local government, a watchdog international a radical rethinking of the entire sustain- on progress, and a mediator in dispute systems to restore able development paradigm. resolution among village forest man- Sustainable development has come to agers. Forest policy analyst Liz Alden forests and commu- mean sustained economic growth and Wily points out that this system has been industrial expansion. In contrast, the nities, by giving Lisa Ambus works with effective because village groups have the concept developing sustainability goes the POLIS Project on freedom, authority, rights and responsi- greater power and beyond marginal reforms and actively issues related to commu- bilities to make and enforce local rules addresses the root causes of ecological control to local nity and ecosystem-based which apply to people inside and out- decline. One of these roots causes is the forestry, in both an aca- side of the community. peoples.Through dislocation of power from communities. demic and activist capacity. These cases are exceptions to the rule Therefore developing sustainability community forestry, Joining POLIS in April where centralised power structures hold requires a re-visioning of governance 2000, Lisa assists with the dominion over forests, often compromis- we can develop systems and political-economic arrange- coordination of the ing or outright disrespecting the rights, ments that perpetuate unsustainable pat- sustainability International Network of needs, and desires of local peoples. terns of growth. From the local to the Forests and Communities. Recognising this imbalance of power as global, how might we (re)create and sup- one of the underlying causes of the glob- port institutions, trade, and development al forest crisis, how can we address the practices that serve to maintain and protect ecosystem void of effective forest governance in a proactive integrity and social justice? This point of inquiry is at way? How might we support, advance and secure the the heart of POLISs research and policy work. land and tenure rights of indigenous and traditional 10 In the area of community-based natural resource peoples, local communities, and other non-corporate management, POLIS’ research has illustrated how user groups? experiences in the South have much to teach the Recognising the linkages and lessons from across North about developing sustainability. In “develop- the globe (mainly from the South), POLIS has pro- ing” countries, approximately 22 percent of forests are posed a new process for developing sustainability in held in common by community or indigenous the British Columbia context. This model, the groups. In “developed” countries, only 3 percent of Community Ecosystem Trust Facilitation Act, outlines forests are commonly held. For example, Mexico’s a way to work towards these goals. While the model land tenure system gives people usufruct rights to a has yet to be elaborated upon or even tested in a pilot territory, the ejido, which are lands held in common. project, it stands as a concrete example of what is pos- The extent of community control of renewable natural sible. And makes us aware of opportunities that may resources in Mexico is demonstrated by the fact that exist merely by rephrasing the challenge of sustain- more than 70 percent of all forestlands are held by eji- able development to one of developing sustainability. dos or indigenous communities. For more information on the Community In upwards of twenty-five countries across Africa, Ecosystem Trust and community control of natural proposed forest laws include provisions for more resources, see: equitable forest management relations between the M’Gonigle, Michael, Brian Egan, and Lisa Ambus. government and local people. Uganda, Tanzania and 2001. When there's a Way, there’s a Will: Developing Mozambique are implementing this new legislation, Sustainability through the Community Ecosystem Trust. thus enabling customary tenure arrangements over Victoria: Eco-Research Chair, University of Victoria. common, publicly owned lands. For example, Available from POLIS - Tel (250) 721-6388 or [email protected] URBANURBAN SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY

Community Health, Urban Sustainability and Food Security The Growing Healthy Communities Project By Emily MacNair esting, with a growing network of gardens enjoyed by 11 citizens and supported by local government. n January of this year, without so Belltown, one of Seattle’s trendiest much as a whimper, “Our Backyard” neighbourhoods, is filled with funky loft In addition to Idisappeared. Our Backyard was a apartments, cafes and stores. While look- their ecological, tiny garden (800 square feet) tucked ing for the local community garden, I away on View Street beside St. Vincent stepped into a coffee shop to ask for aesthetic and de Paul — Victoria’s only community directions. I was met with blank stares, social values, garden in the heart of downtown. Its and then sudden recognition — “Oh you gardeners were primarily low-income mean the P-Patch?” — and several peo- community gardens residents, though for two years local ple started at once to point and talk excit- also provide fresh preschool children learned the rudi- edly. ments of gardening there. During the For the gardener, urban green space and nutritious food day, the garden was open to all free of advocate, or anybody who loves local to urban residents; charge. Our Backyard was owned by the Emily MacNair is a fresh food, visiting Seattle’s community Catholic Diocese and was recently sold Research Associate with gardens is an inspiring and encouraging some gardens, such POLIS, working on food for the development of rental apart- experience. In addition to their ecological, as those in Seattle, ments. security and urban sustain- aesthetic and social values, Seattle’s P- The loss of Our Backyard followed ability. Currently she is Patches donate between seven and ten donate fresh organic coordinating the Growing closely on the heels of the development tonnes of organic produce to the City’s produce to food of the Gordon Head Allotment Gardens. Healthy Communities food banks and emergency shelters each Located in Saanich, these gardens were Project and working with year. banks and local groups on food secu- the largest in the region, providing food The P-Patches are named after the emergency shelters. and flowers for 200 gardeners every rity issues. Emily studied city’s first community garden, started in year for almost 30 years. The land, also Cultural Anthropology at 1973 on the donated Picardo family truck owned by the Diocese, was sold for the University of British farm. Today the original Picardo Farm P- housing development last year. Columbia and completed Patch lives on, and Seattle is home to The development of these two com- her Masters of over 55 P-Patches, each a reflection of its munity gardens has spurred POLIS to Environmental Studies in unique location and community. The P- continue its work on the Growing December of 1999 at York Patches are often park-like with seating, Healthy Communities Project. Thanks to University. fountains and public art. support from the Vancouver Foundation In some cases P-Patches are stand- and the McLean Foundation, POLIS is producing two alone, and in others they are combined with other research reports that will serve as guides for those park uses. At Bradford Garden Park, a basketball interested in community gardens in the region. court runs along one side of the P-Patch plots. There The first report, The City of Gardens Handbook, will are demonstration gardens, a pond, benches and a offer an analysis of the significance of community gar- covered seating area. dens in the region and will provide recommendations Aside from the great care and attention these gar- for improving community access to gardens. The dens receive, the most unusual thing about Seattle’s Handbook will also offer practical guidance for citi- P-Patches is that they are strongly supported by the zens on how to secure land for community gardens, City through both funds and staff. Seattle is proud of and how to ensure their longevity. its P-Patches. The City incorporated them into its 1994 City Plan, making it a goal to provide a P-Patch for Seattle’s P-Patches every 2,500 households. A second publication, Seeds of Success will explore Seattle’s P-Patch program will be described in how other cities have successfully supported and pro- more detail in Seeds of Success, a POLIS publication tected their community gardens for the future. As outlining successful approaches to protecting and part of the research for the Growing Healthy managing community gardens (available in late 2002). Communities Project, I visited Portland and Seattle to see how these cities have encouraged community gardens. The experience in Seattle was particularly inter- NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

Smart Growth BC Innovative Approaches to Urban Growth Management By Deborah Curran environmental sustainability fits in with social and economic sustainability, and what focus the GVRD mart Growth BC (SGBC), co-founded by the should take in improving its regional visions. SGBC Smart Growth Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and has also partnered with a range of organizations Policy (now the POLIS Project on Ecological and individuals interested in the long-term protec- BC is dedicated S Governance), is completing its second full year of tion of the Agricultural Land Reserve to explore to creating more operations and continues to excel in innovative land how best to protect that important provincial land use projects. It is the first province-wide public use zoning liveable interest growth management organization in through local sup- communities. Canada dedicated to creating more livable commu- port. nities through building a grassroots movement to SGBC is now address local community by supporting existing dedicating most of community organizations as well as helping to cre- its resources to ate broader coalitions. This approach is compliment- developing a voter ed by promoting smart education guide growth policies and for the upcoming As a former Research strategies with local municipal elec- Associate at the Eco- government and pro- tions. The guide Research Chair, Deborah fessionals, e.g. plan- will outline the Curran co-founded Smart ners, architects, and elements of smart Growth BC. She recently developers, and of growth, provide returned to Victoria from developing strategic statistics on devel- San Francisco, where she partnerships that opment, and sug- completed her LLM degree advance smart growth gest questions that at the University of in communities. can be asked of California at Berkeley. The focus of this municipal candi- Now a land use lawyer at year’s work has been dates. It will be West Coast Environmental to partner with com- distributed in Law Association, she is also munities to highlight September the Chair of the Board at 12 their smart growth through communi- Smart Growth B.C. potential. This includes ty organizations, delivering a workshop with whom SGBC tailored to the needs of small communities in town will work to host and small cities across the province. SGBC has also all candidate’s developed a five year project with the James Taylor meetings in sever- Chair at the University of British Columbia to al regions across design and implement three neighbourhoods as the province. examples of smart growth at the street level. Titled Finally, SGBC will “Smart Growth On The Ground”, communities be hosting the first across the province are invited to apply to work Canadian meeting with SGBC through the charette and design process- of organizations es to develop a concensus vision of livability for working on smart growth issues in Vancouver in the urban and suburban neighbourhoods. spring of 2003. This conference will coincide with a SGBC has partnered with the Greater Vancouver meeting of the Growth Management Leadership Regional District in the ten-year evaluation of their Alliance, a coalition of U.S. smart growth groups, of Livable Regions Strategy. SGBC held an environ- which SGBC is the only Canadian member. mental sustainability forum in May to canvas how For more information, see www.smartgrowth.bc.ca NEW PROJECTS

Treaty-Making in Hul’qumi’num Territory DevelopingDeveloping AlternativesAlternatives toto thethe LandLand SelectionSelection ModelModel By Brian Egan losing control and connection with the remainder of their territory. Alternatives to this land selection ith the results of the treaty referendum in model are needed, to reconcile Crown sovereignty their back pocket, the BC Liberal govern- and Aboriginal title, and for the successful resolution Wment is resuming negotiations with First of treaties across the province. Nations and the federal government in an effort to For most First Nations, giving up rights to most of resolve longstanding concerns over Aboriginal title to their traditional lands and resources is not acceptable land and resources. Also integral to the BC treaty and they are seeking alternative ways to maintain process is the need to develop new relationships some degree of connection to, and control over, their between First Nations and the federal and provincial traditional territory. Given the constraints of the treaty governments. The treaty referendum generated con- process, how might this be possible? POLIS is work- siderable heat but little light, with the negotiating ing with the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group (HTG) to principles remaining essentially unchanged. explore this question. The HTG represents six differ- Unfortunately, the referendum did little to increase ent First Nations on southeast Vancouver Island, with public understanding of the need for modern treaties their territory stretching from Saanich Inlet to or the challenges facing treaty negotiators. Ladysmith, including the Cowichan Valley and most The challenges to treaty-making are significant; a of the southern Gulf Islands, as well as part of the decade after First Nations and the provincial and fed- lower reaches of the Fraser River. Treaty-making is eral governments committed themselves to treaty- particularly challenging in this territory because of the making, the BC treaty process has yielded no such scarcity of Crown land. About 85 percent of the area is agreements. Across British Columbia, treaty-making private land — most of it owned by two large forest has foundered on the governments’ insistence that companies (TimberWest and Weyerhaeuser). treaties be based on the ‘extinguishment’ of Over the next six months, POLIS will be working Aboriginal title and expectation that First Nations will with the HTG to identify lands for inclusion in the agree to sever their ties with most of their ancestral treaty proposal and to identify strategies, apart from lands. First Nations generally reject this approach to gaining exclusive ownership over land, for the treaty settlement, of selecting a small amount of their Hul’qumi’num to continue managing, and protecting, traditional land base for outright ownership while their traditional territory.

New Project in Urban Water Management The Walter and Duncan Gordon quantity of urban water uses, where work, we will help to establish a net- Foundation has recently confirmed existing pricing and regulatory prac- work of demand management experts support to POLIS for a two year proj- tices encourage highly wasteful and and practitioners so that many individ- ect in the area of urban water manage- costly levels of consumption. The proj- uals who today are working separately ment. With the hiring of a new ect will address how provinces and will be able to co-ordinate policy devel- research associate, the project will municipalities can begin the shift to opment much better in the years ahead. allow POLIS to enter into the water much greater efficiency in urban water This project will also fit within the policy area in a much fuller way than uses through a focus on “demand larger family of water-related projects we have been able to do to date. management.” that the Gordon Foundation is devel- In recent years, the Canadian pub- As part of our research, POLIS will oping to address a growing national 13 lic has become highly sensitive to the be making contact with leaders in this water crisis. We are excited by our quality of Canada’s municipal water field across the country — academics, project, and by the prospect of partici- supplies. As important is the less- government officials, entrepreneurs, pating in this broader foundation ini- appreciated (but related) issue of the planners and activists. As part of this tiative.

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES

The Dogwood Intitiative CatalyzingCatalyzing SolutionsSolutions forfor LandLand andand PeoplePeople By Noba Anderson One way we have been building alliances and bridging historical mistrust is through our ‘Creating he most important issues facing the people of Dialogues’ project. We have toured British Community British Columbia are who has control of the Columbia, identifying lessons from existing commu- forests are just as Tland and what they are doing with it. Control nity forests and passing along these lessons and sto- is power; the power to make decisions about our ries to other communities interested in local control diverse as com- lives, about our land, about our future. of lands and resources. munities. No two Dogwood Initiative, formerly known as Forest Community forests are just as diverse as com- Futures, is a non-profit organisation catalyzing sus- munities. No two are alike. That is why we set out are alike.That is why tainable community solutions for lands and people to identify the common threads that distinguish we set out to iden- in British Columbia. We were created to change the community forest initiatives. What makes some suc- dynamics of who controls the land base in British ceed and others fail? What obstacles do they face? tify the common Columbia. And that is what we aim to do. Our mis- What are the most important keys to their success? threads that distin- sion is to increase the opportunity for guish community community-centred forest initiatives. and ecosystem- based alternatives to corporate forestry activities. Although an astonishing 96% of the land in British Columbia is publicly owned, large corporations control almost all of our public forests. Since forestry is one of 14 B.C.'s major industries, Photo: Ursula Heller these corporations control not only our land and In the fall of 2002, Dogwood Initiative released a resources but also exert tremendous influence over report summarizing our findings on the state of decisions made at all levels of government. community forests in British Columbia. This report Dramatic changes to the current land tenure system highlights the socio-economic, political and legal are needed in order to shift this power dynamic. obstacles community forests face along with how Significant reforms are long overdue to settle First various communities have responded to these chal- Nations land claims, create sustainable communities lenges. In a follow-up report (to be released later this and establish a sustainable industry. fall) we will recommend reforms, along with a politi- We believe British Columbia needs a political/ cal strategy to create leverage to implement them, in legal framework that will allow communities that order to help sustainable local initiatives become a show interest — and the capacity — the opportunity significant part of British Columbia’s future. to step forward and assume the role of local stew- For copies of our community forest reports, or ards, to practice better forestry and retain more local for more information on community control, please jobs. The necessary reforms will not happen without contact us at: focused political pressure. To thrive, the push to Dogwood Initiative (formerly Forest Futures) diversify control of the land base must include First [email protected] Nations, labour, environmentalists, communities, P.O. Box 8701, municipal leaders, wood workers, the small busi- Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, ness sector, non-timber interests, woodlot associa- V8W 3S3 tions, youth and others. Tel: (250) 370-9930 Fax: (250) 370-9990 www.forestfutures.org INTERNATIONAL POLICY

The Convention on Biological Diversity Slow Progress Towards Forest Protection By Jessica Dempsey ties to develop and implement adaptive community Many NGOs and management systems to conserve and sustainably rom April 8-19th, 2002, the 6th Conference of use forest biological diversity”), decades of un- Indigenous Parties (COP 6) to the Convention on implemented UN commitments left many NGO rep- Peoples organiza- FBiological Diversity (CBD) took place in the resentatives wary of how this work programme will Hague, The Netherlands. The International translate into changes. (The work plan is accessible tions expressed Network of Forests and Communities (INFC) and at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/cop/cop- concerns over POLIS were present at the CBD, and a 06/information/cop-06-inf-09-en.pdf) statement calling for the adoption of Many NGOs and Indigenous some missing pieces community-based solutions to forest Peoples organizations also expressed to the CBD work management and protection was read in concerns over some missing pieces to the plenary, reaching the ears of govern- the programme, particularly those that programme, particu- ment delegates from 182 countries. It address underlying causes and precau- larly those that highlighted the importance of address- tionary approaches to preventing forest ing issues of power and governance degradation. For instance, within the address underlying over forest lands and resources, and of eight year work programme, there is causes and precau- livelihood security within any strategy scant reference to reducing Northern to conserve forest biological diversity. consumption patterns — a major con- tionary approaches This statement, drafted by the INFC, tributing factor to forest destruction to preventing forest was endorsed by many NGO and Jessica Dempsey joined and degradation. Indigenous Peoples representatives POLIS in January 2002 and At the CBD, and in preparation for degradation. such as the Environment Liaison Centre has worked on numerous the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable International, World Rainforest projects, mostly related to Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, Movement, Friends of the Earth international ecological there is growing awareness among International, Institute of Cultural governance and forests. civil society organisations of the need Affairs - Ghana, Kalpavriksh: She participated in the for approaches that enable ‘good forest Environmental Action Group - India, CBD (Convention on governance’ and restoration, rather the Indigenous People’s Biodiversity Biological Diversity) and than liquidation forest economies. In Network, and Greenpeace International. conducted research on other words, in order to halt forest bio- The three objectives of the CBD are issues related to globaliza- diversity losses, both power and politi- to promote “the conservation of biologi- tion, international law and cal economy must be addressed — cal diversity, the sustainable use of its forests. Jessica graduated who controls the forests, who benefits components, and the fair and equitable from the University of from their use, and the most basic sharing of benefits arising out of the uti- Victoria with her B.Sc. in ideas of growth and progress. lization of genetic resources.” However, 2002, and entered gradu- It will continue to be the role of for- looking at the lack of progress made ate school at the est users, communities, activists, aca- over the last decade to halt deforesta- University of British demics, organisations, and indigenous tion and degradation, these forms of Columbia in September peoples to push for and to create tangi- state-centric agreements appear to be 2002. ble changes and opportunities on the limited in their ability to produce sub- ground. Transformative shifts which stantive action. (Since the CBD was adopt- attend to both power and political econo- ed at the Earth Summit in 1992 an area the size of my are likely to emanate from a strong worldwide Iran has been deforested.) movement of diverse grassroots actors committed to 15 At this most recent meeting of the CBD, forest building alternative relations with forests. The INFC biological diversity was a main thematic area on the and POLIS, along with a number of partners, are in agenda, and the parties adopted an eight year work the process of organising support for such a local- programme. While there are commendable elements global forest campaign, focused on the World to this programme (for example, one recommenda- Forestry Congress in Quebec City, September 2003. tion was to “Enable indigenous and local communi-

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS UVIC NEWS

UVic’s Campus Plan Requires Innovation and Vision By Nancy Klenavic and Justine Clarke encourage automobile use, overloading traffic and infrastructure systems that feed UVic and contribut- aving recently released a draft Campus ing to a car-dominated campus. Plan to guide physical development on The Plan further fails to commit to employing Hcampus, the “green” building technolo- The University of University of Victoria has a gies despite their financial Victoria has a remarkable opportunity to and ecological benefits. become a leader in sustain- This ensures conventional remarkable able, innovative growth. construction methods will opportunity to With vision, fortitude, and continue and UVic will pay the adoption of strong prin- the price in increased oper- become a leader in ciples and land-efficient ating costs and a degraded sustainable, innova- planning techniques, the environment. Campus Plan could ensure POLIS has long been tive growth - sadly, the development of a truly advocating a better, more unique campus set in a con- inclusive planning process the draft Campus Nancy Klenavic and Justine Starke are UVic stu- text of protected and at UVic. In the fall of 2001, dents working with POLIS to promote the adop- Plan fails to restored natural areas. POLIS released A Path Less tion of smart growth planning as a model for Sadly, the draft Campus Taken: Planning For Smart embrace this possi- campus development. Plan fails to embrace this Growth at the University of bility. possibility. This is not entire- Victoria, a document explor- ly surprising, considering the nature of the process ing how smart growth planning could be used at that led to creation of the Plan. To adequately UVic. POLIS members have also participated active- address the development challenges of the 21st cen- ly within UVic’s internal processes for over two tury, a policy-driven, inclusive planning process is years. During the summer and fall of 2002, POLIS required. The Campus Plan, however, was devel- worked to encourage local community associations oped in a system that sacrificed meaningful policy and members of the university community to development to the goal of maintaining operational actively engage in the brief public consultation ses- flexibility. Combined with the University’s failure sions held by the University. This work involved 16 to involve the wider community throughout the educating the public on the inadequacies of the process, this resulted in a Plan that reflects no col- Plan, for which POLIS prepared a detailed analysis lective vision, lacks inventive planning ideas and of the Plan, with support from VanCity Credit addresses only the concerns of its authors. Union. As a result, the Plan spells real problems for Currently, POLIS is working with community UVic’s future. Buildings will sprawl over the cam- groups, students, faculty and staff to ensure that pus, devouring playing fields, forests and gardens. public concerns are adequately addressed in the The campus’ cherished natural areas will be given final draft of the University of Victoria campus “Special Study Area” status, opening them to future development plan. The community movement for development. No priority is assigned to restoring sustainability at UVic is growing fast and POLIS is these areas, despite the threats they face from inva- playing a central role in advocating for smart growth sive species, run-off and fragmentation. The alternatives to be embraced by the university. University will progressively lose the magnificent The Plan can be found at www.uvic.ca/draft- green spaces that are currently so admired. campusplan, where a feedback form is also located. No procedure for reducing private vehicle use Comments can also be copied and sent to POLIS at on campus is adopted within the Plan. Instead, cop- [email protected], or by regular mail at: PO BOX ing with increased demand for parking is given pri- 3600, University of Victoria, Victoria BC, V8W 3R4. ority. In addition, no vision is laid out under which For more information regarding the issues of a complete community would be created at UVic UVic’s development plan, please visit that would reduce the need for car-use to accom- www.demandsmartgrowth.org or call Justine Starke plish every day tasks. These omissions will only at (250) 472-4637. NATURAL RESOURCES

New Project Exploring EconomicEconomic andand Ecological Alternatives in the Mining Sector

By Alan Young Alan Young joined the he extraction and use of minerals and metals POLIS Project as a has a significant impact on the economic and Research Associate in Tecological health of nations in the global September 2002. He is North and South. The substantial transfers of currently serving as wealth, the extensive social impacts, the unprece- Director of Corporate dented ecological liabilities and the powerful politi- Accountability for the cal strategies associated with mineral development Environmental Mining are all critical in shaping the current political econo- Council of BC — an my of the Americas and Europe. NGO coalition focused lighted and explored in the In recent years the collision of economic, social on reforming mining poli- coming years, if we are and ecological forces concerned about the mineral cy and practices. Prior to going to improve the way sector have resulted in a broad array of high profile this he worked as in which we extract, manu- conflicts. These conflicts have included mining- Executive Director of the facture and use minerals related constitutional challenges for the rights of EMCBC for 8 years. He and metals in our societies. aboriginal peoples in Canada, the massacre of local is a founder and co-chair POLIS is launching a new villagers in Bolivia at a Canadian-owned mine, the of MiningWatch Canada. initiative — the Mineral rejection of a billion dollar copper mine in favour of Mr.Young studied Applied Efficiency Policy Project — a World Heritage Site in British Columbia, major Communications and to explore these problems. toxic spills in Romania, Geography at Simon Led by Alan Young and Spain, the US and Fraser University and Maria Laura Barreto, the Dr. Maria Laura Barreto is Guyana, and critical Ottawa University. project is designed to iden- a Visiting Scholar at POLIS challenges of the min- tify policy options, and Project. For the last 13 ing-related lending develop recommendations years she has been a sen- policies of institutions for further research and promote promising alterna- ior researcher from the such as the World Bank tives to existing unsustainable and unjust approach- Center for Mineral and Export es to mineral development. Technology, in Rio de Development For more information about the Mineral Janeiro, Brazil. She has a Corporation. Efficiency Project, contact Alan Young at alan@min- degree in law from Arising from these ingwatch.org. Eduardo Mondlane in scenarios, there are a Mozambique, a Master’s series of important degree in Legal Science questions to be high- and International Relations from Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a PhD. in Mining Engineering from Sao Paulo University 17 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has published over 40 books and papers on mineral policy and law.

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS NEWSNEWS

Staff Notes Recent and Forthcoming Publications and Anne Nguyen: Manager, Development and Outreach Conference Presentations We are pleased to announce David R. Boyd. 2001. Canada vs. The OECD: An the appointment of Anne Environmental Comparison. Nguyen as our new Manager for Development David R. Boyd. 2001. Sea Change: Strengthening Bill C-5, and Outreach. Anne gradu- the Species at Risk Act, to Protect Marine Biodiversity. ated from the University of Emily MacNair and Shannon McDonald. 2001. A Path less Victoria in May 2001 and Taken: Planning for Smart Growth at the University of has spent the past year Victoria. studying at the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) as a Kelly P. Bannister. 2002. Ethnobiological Research: on Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Her primary role will be Whose Terms? Paper presentation at the 8th International to strengthen links between POLIS and the local commu- Congress of Ethnobiology. Addis Abada, Ethiopia. nity. Welcome Anne! September 16-19, 2002.

Gail Hochachka: Research Kelly P. Bannister, Heather Mahony and R. Michael Associate M'Gonigle. Forthcoming. Plants and Knowledge, Power After completing her MA and Wealth: The Political Economy of Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicines. Invited paper accepted for publica- degree at UVic in May tion in Michael Steinberg (ed.) Forest, Field and Fish: 2002, Gail Hochachka has Politicized Indigenous Resources. University of Texas joined POLIS to pursue her Press, Texas. research interests in integral community develop- Michael M’Gonigle. 2002. Between Globalism and ment, with a particular Territoriality: The Emergence of an International focus on natural resources Constitution and the Challenge of Ecological Legitimacy. Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, Special Issue in coastal El Salvador. in International Law Theory. Vol XV, No. 2.

Liz Wheaton: Office Michael M’Gonigle and Jessica Dempsey. Envisioning Manager Ecological Innovation in an Age of Bureaucratic Closure: Liz Wheaton continues her The Future of the Global Forest. Forthcoming in Studies stellar work at POLIS, in Political Economy. where she helps to keep us Michael M’Gonigle, Brian Egan, and Lisa Ambus. 2001. all organized and informed. When there’s a Way there’s a Will Report 1: Developing Especially appreciated is her Sustainability through the Community Ecosystem Trust. (never-ending) work on 18 budgets and financial man- Brian Egan and Lisa Ambus. 2001. When there’s a Way there's a Will Report 2: Models of Community-based agement, without which Natural Resource Management. we'd all be in a financial muddle! She is always at the centre of the action at POLIS, and is the key moving force Bryan Evans and David R. Boyd. 2001. When there’s a behind the fabulous POLIS lunches! Way there’s a Will Report 3: Review of Provincial and Federal Legislation Related to Community-based Natural Farewell Katherine! Resource Management in British Columbia. For the past two years Dr. Katherine Barrett has worked Brian Egan and Lisa Ambus. 2002. Highlights of the BC as a Research Associate with POLIS, focusing her work Community Forestry Forum: Exploring Policy and Practice. on food and agricultural issues, with a particular empha- Electronic (CD) proceedings of a conference held March sis on application of the precautionary principle. This fall, 14-16, 2002 in Victoria, British Columbia. Katherine accepted a job with the federal government Lisa Ambus, Brian Egan, Heather Mahony, and Michael and is now living in Ottawa. We will miss Katherine and M’Gonigle. 2002. A Territorial Compact: Global Forest wish her success in her position. Governance in an Era Beyond State Failure. Discussion paper #6 of “Global Forests, Global Citizens: A Discussion paper Series on the Future of Forests and Communities.” Published by the International Network of Forests and Communities (POLIS Project, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia).

To order copies of any of these publications, contact the POLIS office at [email protected] or (250) 721-6388. PUBLICATIONS

Coffee with Pleasure: Just Java and World Trade This new book, by POLIS Research not have to destroy the environment ferent brands of organic and/or fair Associate Laure Waridel, reveals the to do so. The fair trade and organic trade coffee and they are gaining a destructive effects of plantation- food movement is growing rapidly, larger share of the coffee market. grown coffee — poverty, injustice and and this is particularly the case for “Coffee with Pleasure” focuses on the environmental degradation — and coffee. Today, there are dozens of dif- fair trade coffee movement in Mexico, describes how “fair trade” coffee can and documents the experience of one avoid these. “Coffee with Pleasure” group of producers in the Oaxaca situates the coffee industry within the region. broader context of global production The book is an important contri- and trade, particularly the trend bution to the fair trade movement. towards economic globalization domi- “We need to increase awareness about nated by large corporations, and fair trade,” says Waridel, “and people describes how the conventional coffee need to realize that, as consumers, economy provides only minimal ben- they can put pressure on corporations efits for coffee growers. and have a positive impact.” Much of the book is devoted to describing a “different path” for cof- “Coffee with Pleasure” is pub- fee growers, one where growers have lished by Black Rose Books. To order a better chance to get a decent price a copy, call 1-800-565-9523 or go to for their product and where they do www.web.net/blackrosebooks

Up in the Air: Canada’s Mixed Record on Ozone Depletion and Climate Change The report, “Up in the Air”, is a joint Governments used effective laws and ticularly important in light of recent publication by the David Suzuki innovative policies to produce a scientific evidence indicating that cli- Foundation and the University of remarkable 95 per cent reduction in mate change may interfere with the Victoria Eco-Research Chair that com- Canadian consumption of ozone- recovery of the ozone layer. pares Canada’s response to ozone depleting chemicals since 1987. In depletion and climate change. The contrast, when addressing climate report examines Canada’s record on change, Canadian governments have these two problems and addresses ignored the lessons learned in protect- several questions: Why has Canada ing the ozone layer. been at the forefront of global efforts Although the Kyoto Protocol was to protect the ozone layer while show- negotiated in 1997, Ottawa has only ing little leadership in defusing the recently started to take small steps to threat posed by global warming? Why fulfill its international commitment to is Canada’s domestic strategy for reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At tackling ozone-depleting chemicals the same time, resistance from some fully developed and implemented provincial governments and indus- while our approach to climate change tries continues to threaten the legal remains up in the air? What steps are ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by needed in Canada to implement solu- the federal government. In the mean- 19 tions that have succeeded elsewhere? time, Canadian greenhouse gas emis- Canada’s successful response to sions increased by more than 15 per ozone depletion provides a powerful cent between 1990 and 2000. symbol of environmental optimism. The findings of the report are par-

NEWSLETTER OF THE POLIS PROJECT - WINTER 2002/2003 POLIS As POLIS’ current core budget is insufficient to cover our Our Vision for the Year Ahead annual operational expenses, this year, we will be launching a campaign to raise core funds. Increasing POLIS’ base financial Our vision for the upcoming year is to build on POLIS’ support will provide the funds needed to strengthen our cur- existing research and policy advocacy work, initiate new rent research and advocacy initiatives, enable the initiation of research initiatives, and increase linkages within the University new research projects and increase our capacity to bring our and in the wider community through outreach and collaborative work to the university and wider community in the form of projects.We are presently building our capacity to achieve these seminars, lectures and conferences. POLIS actively seeks dona- objectives through two means: increasing POLIS’ permanent tions from organisations and individuals to support our work. base of financial support, and strengthening our institutional ties This year, we will also work to expand the participation of with the University of Victoria. interested UVic faculty, students and community members in In 1995, grants from the BC Real Estate Foundation, the BC POLIS.This effort will involve enhanced ties with other depart- Notary Foundation and the BC Ministry of the Environment ments and centres at the University, and more collaborative ini- established an endowment for the Eco-Research Chair in tiatives (such as co-sponsored events).We will also be organis- Environmental Law and Policy (ERC). Presently, POLIS does not ing a number of special fundraising events in the coming months receive funding from the general university budget but relies on that will be an opportunity for our supporters to get to know the support of the ERC endowment to cover core operational POLIS’ team of researchers and activists and to network with costs. Research and policy advocacy projects carried out by one another.We will also build a board of advisors consisting of POLIS associates are financed by funds raised from foundations faculty, community members and POLIS staff to provide strate- and research granting agencies. gic direction and expertise over the coming years.

Thanks to Our Supporters

The work of POLIS would not be possible without the generous support of the following funders:

University of Victoria CONTACT US Vancouver Foundation Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation POLIS Project on Ecological Governance PO Box 3060, University of Victoria,Victoria, BC Endswell Foundation V8W 3R4 Ford Foundation American Lands Alliance 20 Tel:(250) 721-6388, Fax: (250) 472-5060 Natural Resources Canada/Canada Forest Service Email: [email protected],Web: Canadian International Development Agency www.polisproject.org (CIDA) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canadian Rural Partnership BC Ministry of Forests MCRI Coasts Under Stress (SSHRC and NSERC) The Clayoquot Alliance for Research, Education and Training and The Clayoquot Biosphere Trust Support Us! Forest Extension Research Partnership (FORREX) The POLIS Project on Ecological Governance is a not- Human Resources Canada for-profit organization based at the University of The Volulntary Sector Initiative (Government of Victoria. Donations from concerned individuals and Canada VanCity Credit Union organizations help make our work possible. If you Mountain Equipment Coop would like to support POLIS, please contact our office Law Foundation manager, Liz Wheaton. We can issue tax receipts for Real Estate Foundation all donations. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council McLean Foundation HTG Paper: 100% post-consumer, PCF private donors Newsletter Design: Brad Hornick Communications