The provincial government is expanding B.C.’s parks and protected areas with new legislation.
This will help strengthen biodiversity conservation and provide more opportunities for people to access outdoor recreation including 4.8 hectares to expand parking in Mount Pope Park near Fort St. James.
The additions, proposed through legislative amendments to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act, add 189 hectares to six existing provincial parks and one conservancy.
“Our actions this week to expand and enhance B.C.’s parks and protected areas play an important part in our ongoing work to preserve ecological, recreational and cultural values,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“That’s why we are expanding and strengthening our parks and protected areas to ensure these special places will be here for our children and grandchildren, as well as maintaining irreplaceable provincial ecosystems and biodiversity.”
B.C. has 1,039 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas covering more than 14 million hectares.