A Biodiversity Conservation
Strategy for the South
Okanagan Similkameen
Update for Regional Board Planning and
Development Committee June 7th, 2012.
Environment Goal: Ensure the Health of Ecosystems in the South
Okanagan to provide water, land, air and biodiversity.
POLICY EN1
Coordinate management of regional biodiversity
conservation
1. Meet with environment partners to develop a regional approach to
biodiversity conservation and work with the RDOS Board toward
coordinated biodiversity conservation and ecosystems protection.
2. Support the development of an inter-regional Biodiversity
Conservation Strategy by collaborating with ecosystems experts,
including those with traditional ecological knowledge, and balance
ecosystems interests with economic and social sustainability.
3. Work with Aboriginal leaders to develop partnerships for regional
ecosystems health.
4. Monitor the effectiveness of RGS ecosystems actions, including
annual indicators for key ecosystem measures.
RGS Environment Goal (cont’) :
POLICY EN2
Support environmental stewardship strategies
1. Develop policy and regulation to protect the natural
environment, including mapping of sensitive ecosystems
and designating development permit areas.
2. Collaborate to direct land use and resource-based decisions away
from ecologically sensitive areas and encourage land development
practices and methods of environmental enhancement that maintain
ecosystem health and the ability of natural systems to sustain life.
3. Promote conservation and sustainability of watersheds, wetlands and
riparian areas and a green space network to serve as a wildlife corridor.
4. Support the right to farm in balance with best environmental
management practices.
5. Support restoring and managing key habitats.
Biodiversity Conservation Strategy initiated late 2009
Steering Committee: Environment partners; multiagencies.
Technical Committee: experts from private and public
sector; multi-agencies
Biodiversity Conservation Strategy
Process
BACKGROUND
• Partnership
Established
• Scoping
Research
• Project
Objectives
ISSUES ASSESSMENT
• Local, Regional, Prov. & Fed Gov’t
Role in Biodiversity Conservation
• Key Issues
• Assess Value of Conserving
Biodiversity
• Priorities
HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY
ASSESSMENT
• Synthesize Mapping
• Species & Habitat
Research
• Regional Habitat & Biodiversity
Analysis
• Pilots
• Case Studies
• Other Information
BACKGROUND
• 2009-2010
ASSESSMENT
• Issues
• Mapping
• 2009-2011
STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS
• 2011-2012
STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS
•Mission
•Goals
•Spatial Framework:
•Ecosystems
•Hotspots
•Management
Layers
•Corridors
FRAMEWORK &
STRATEGY
• Biodiversity
Conservation
Plan
• Strategies
• Actions &
Players
• “Toolkits”
• Monitoring
• Engagement and
Outreach
•LG specific Tools
IMPLEMENTATION
& MONITORING
BIODIVERSITY
CONSERVATION
STRATEGY
•Drafts
•Final 2012
IMPLEMENTATION
MONITORING
• 2012-2016
What is the strategy? Keeping Nature in Our Future identifies:
Why we should conserve and restore natural areas,
Which natural areas should be protected and restored,
Who can contribute; and,
How conservation and enhancement of these natural areas can be achieved.
The strategy positions biodiversity protection as one component of regional
sustainability and complements other regional initiatives to address additional
aspects of environmental sustainability, such as renewable energy, food security,
and sustainable agriculture, transportation and tourism.
Key Components:
1. Science analysis and decision support tools
2. General Recommendations
3. Specific recommendations and fine-grained information
Photo: Michael Bezener,
One Wild Earth
Photography
Science Analysis and Decision Support Tools
(Maps)
 Amalgamate all ecosystem and species data layers for
decision support
 Identify important ecological features
 Identify threats from existing and/or planned human
disturbance
 Organize information layers to inform biodiversity planning and
strategic directions
Science Analysis and Maps Overview
INPUT DATA LAYERS
SEI
TEM
VRI
Land use
Hydrology
Wetlands
Digital Elevation Model
Roads
Species occurrences
Parks and protected areas
Land tenure
Grasslands data
DERIVATIVE MAP LAYERS
Conservation rankings
Distance to roads
Elevation
Slope
Terrain ruggedness
Patch size analysis
Species at risk
Accessibility to water
Riparian analysis
Buffered wetlands
Habitat reservoirs and
refuges
DECISION SUPPORT
TOOLS
-Conservation Rankings
and Opportunities for
Local Governments
-Relative Biodiversity
-Wildlife Habitat
Connectivity
-Land Management
Classes
Decision Support Tools
Maps and Analysis Answer the
Questions:
•Which ecosystems are the most important for conservation?
•Where are the “hotspots” – areas of greatest importance for biodiversity?
•How are habitats linked to form an interconnected network?
•What is being managed for biodiversity already, and where are the gaps?
Key Findings
Question: Which ecosystems are the most important for conservation?
Decision Support Tool: Conservation Ranking Map
Key Findings:
•Nearly two-thirds of the study area is classified as having high or very high
conservation ranking (importance for conservation).
Value Added:
Maps and primer prepared for each municipality and electoral area in the South
Okanagan-Similkameen.
Provides details about the location of sensitive ecosystems
within local boundaries; gap analysis to identify current and
desired protection status for sensitive ecosystems; and
recommendations for conservation and restoration of natural
areas.
Conservation Opportunity Maps and Primers
for each community and EA
Conservation Opportunity Maps and Primers
for each community and EA
Key Findings
Question: Where are the “hotspots” – areas of greatest importance
for biodiversity?
Decision Support Tool: Relative Biodiversity Map
Key findings:
•More than 20% of the study area is classified as having high or very high relative
biodiversity i.e., the region has many healthy natural areas supporting a diversity
of wildlife.
•The electoral areas and municipalities with the greatest proportion of very high
and high relative biodiversity are Area A (Rural Osoyoos), Area B (Cawston), Area
C (Rural Oliver), Area D (Okanagan Falls), and the municipalities of Osoyoos and
Oliver.
•The valley bottom is very important, even though it is a smaller part of the region.
Nearly half of the very high and high biodiversity values occur in the valley bottom
Value Added:
This information is also summarized for each municipality and electoral area.
Key Findings
Question: How are habitats linked to form an interconnected network?
Decision Support Tool: Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Map
Key Findings:
•Human settlements and the transportation network in the South OkanaganSimilkameen represent barriers to wildlife movement. Highways 97, 3, and 5A
impede east-west movement and Highway 3 and the Princeton Summerland Road
potentially impact north-south movement.
•Along with areas of less rugged terrain located to the east of the Okanagan
Valley and throughout the northern half of the study area, the valley bottom area
offers the best potential for increased wildlife movement.
Value Added:
Opportunities to maintain or enhance connectivity, and “pinch
points” (barriers) in connectivity are identified for each local
government and adjacent jurisdiction
Key Findings
Question: What is being managed for biodiversity already, and where are the gaps?
Decision Support Tool: Management Class Map
Key Findings:
Percentage of Each Land Management Class in the Study Area
Key Findings
Decision Support Tool: Management Class Map
Key Findings:
•Approximately 13% of the study area falls within lands designated as parks, with most of
this consisting of provincial parks and protected areas. All parks and protected areas
together protect only 22.6% of the region’s very high and high biodiversity habitats.
•Amount of municipal parkland meets traditional recreation standards but achieves a low
overall allocation of land to conservation. A small percentage of land (less than 1%) is
allocated to regional parks.
•Indian reserves also have a high proportion of very high and high biodiversity habitats,
followed by private land. This highlights the need for improved land use planning capacity,
conservation incentives, and opportunities for voluntary stewardship.
•The Agricultural Land Reserve is a relatively small proportion of the entire study area, but
because it is concentrated in the valley bottom and has significant high and very high
biodiversity habitat values, it is important to consider biodiversity conservation opportunities
within these lands.
Keeping Nature in Our Future identifies 16 strategic directions
and accompanying opportunities for action for Local and
Senior Governments
Local Governments:
Land use policies and regulations, including bylaws
Building on existing network of parks, protected areas and greenways
Developing incentives to encourage stewardship on private lands
Promoting better public and stakeholder understanding of regional biodiversity
Sharing data and mapping between governments
Developing internal capacity to implement biodiversity conservation
Improving interagency collaboration and capitalizing on partnership opportunities
Senior Governments:
Improve provincial enabling legislation for local government
Implement conservation initiatives; enforce senior legislation, regulations, and standards
Manage provincial and federal Crown lands in a manner that leads by example
Improve the efficiency environmental mitigation and compensation programs
Build on network of protected areas
Support land owners, managers and other stakeholders with financial and technical
assistance.
Conduct applied research and scientific studies and disseminate results to decision makers
and stakeholders
Ensure that environmental protection goals are effectively considered within government
permitting processes
Next Steps...