{"id":9791,"date":"2021-04-12T16:36:29","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T23:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engage.gov.bc.ca\/bcparksblog\/?p=9791"},"modified":"2022-06-27T15:06:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T22:06:50","slug":"assessing-conservation-in-the-garibaldi-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engage.gov.bc.ca\/bcparksblog\/2021\/04\/12\/assessing-conservation-in-the-garibaldi-complex\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing conservation in the Garibaldi Complex"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Home<\/a>\n \n Assessing conservation in the Garibaldi Complex\n <\/span>\n
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Assessing conservation in the Garibaldi Complex<\/h1>\n
BC Parks News<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n
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Photo by Iain Robert Reid in Garibaldi Provincial Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While we continue to weather the COVID- 19 pandemic, it\u2019s never been clearer that our parks are critical to carefully manage and protect as places that sustain us and provide important connections to nature. At the same time, there is growing concern about the effectiveness of protected areas in meeting objectives such as biodiversity conservation.1 <\/sup>BC Parks undertook a pilot Conservation Assessment to gauge how well the Garibaldi Complex \u2013 a set of four joining protected areas \u2013 is working to conserve nature, and answer the question, \u201care we protecting what we said we\u2019d protect?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The results<\/a> of the Conservation Assessment demonstrated that each of the four protected areas (Garibaldi, Golden Ears and Pinecone Burke Provincial Parks and Mkwal\u2019ts Conservancy) within the Garibaldi Complex contain unique and important ecological values from special habitats, rare species, to unique geology. Individually, each protected area makes an important contribution to the conservation of biodiversity. Together, however, this complex of protected areas \u2013 and other conservation lands that are in the adjacent area \u2013 provides a place of refuge for biodiversity right on the doorstep of a growing urban landscape. Consequently, much is demanded of these protected areas to also provide a place for recreation, mental and physical health, and for cultural sustenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change is a major threat due to the relative small size of the Complex and lack of connectivity between the Complex and other protected areas. The Garibaldi Complex also faces a number of outside pressures being situated in close proximity to urban areas and surrounded by urban expansion and industrial activity. At the same time, the Complex faces internal pressures from burgeoning recreation use.2<\/sup> Since much less can be done to influence the pressures from outside of the Complex, this requires some careful decisions about visitor use including when and where people can go inside the Complex while still trying to provide high quality recreation opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Conservation Assessment process revealed that BC Parks has some sound policies in place and has been responsive to conservation values\/species of concern such as grizzly bears, however more can be done in the context of climate change impacts and increasing visitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Iain Robert Reid in Garibaldi Provincial Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How BC Parks is responding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New initiatives are in the works to address some of the gaps and issues identified by the Assessment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n