Protecting a Special Place

August-September 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Natalie Ban

Dotted with magnificent islands and blessed with a wonderful Mediterranean climate, the southern Strait of Georgia, where it adjoins Puget Sound, is home to a remarkable array of natural wonders.

Paddlers will see intertidal invertebrates like sea stars, chitons, crabs and anemones when exploring rocky outcrops at low tide. The most fortunate may have a magical encounter with a pod of the endangered southern resident killer whales, while most will see a seal or sea lion pop its head out of the water. Yet, even for paddlers, much of what lies below the shimmering surface remains a mystery.

The area is a popular diving destination, with many wonderful sites, ranging from easy beginner dives to advanced drift dives. In fact, these waters are often ranked as the world’s best temperate diving locations. Many giants, such as the world’s largest octopus, sea urchin, nudibranch, anemone, intertidal clam, sea star, scallop and barnacle live here.

While SCUBA diving here, the diversity of what I encounter amazes me. Yet what I see is just a fraction of the diversity and abundance that used to inhabit this area. The same environment that 100 years ago sustained a population of humpback whales, enormous schools of fish, and an array of diverse habitats, is today home to only remnants of this. A range of species—from rockfish, lingcod and eelgrass, to orca, abalone and cormorants— are in dramatic decline. It is now obvious that our traditional methods of managing the marine environment are not ecologically, socially or economically sustainable. Clearly a new approach is needed.

In October 2002, the Canadian government announced it would double the national park system over the next five years, with ten new national parks and five national marine conservation areas. Recognizing that the southern Gulf Islands are a truly special place, in May 2003 the government established Canada’s newest park. Made up of portions of 14 islands and hundreds of islets, the Southern Gulf Islands National Park Reserve protects many species that are at risk.

The national park is great news but it has, for the most part, a terrestrial focus. What about protection for the marine life around these islands?

First in 1995 and then in 1998, Parks Canada announced that it would consider a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) for the southern Strait of Georgia. With support for and pressure from environmental groups, Parks Canada finally received funding this year to undertake a feasibility study, and will soon be engaging the public in planning the future of the marine environment in this area.

A National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) is a type of marine protected area, managed by Parks Canada under Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas Act. An NMCA would include some fully protected reserves and ecologically-based zoning. For example, fishing would likely still be allowed in most parts of the NMCA, as long as it does not damage habitat.

The BC Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) formed a coalition comprised of conservancy groups, scientists and stakeholders to support and strengthen marine protection of southern Strait of Georgia through an NMCA. Since 1997, members of the coalition have identified, documented and evaluated areas of special importance that should be protected in the NMCA, shown in this map. The coalition has worked collaboratively to raise public awareness and support for the NMCA. CPAWS is also working with interested local groups, government agencies, and individuals to help compile the Southern Gulf Islands Community Atlas, a collection of ecological and land use information.

CPAWS also lends strong support to the Orca Pass initiative led by the Georgia Strait Alliance and People for Puget Sound. We believe that the legal designation of the southern Strait of Georgia NMCA would go a long way towards the concept of an international protected area, and would entice visitors and residents to be even better stewards of the area.

To join our NMCA coalition or find out more about the Southern Gulf Islands Community Atlas, email marine@cpawsbc.org.

© Natalie Ban works for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society in BC: www.cpawsbc.org.

 

On the US Side

By Laurie MacBride

On the US side of the border, a federal protected area designation in Orca Pass is less likely than in Canada, considering the fact that the proposed Northwest Straits National Marine Sanctuary failed to win popular support a few years ago. However, in the wake of that effort, a lively local effort is underway that could achieve some of the same goals.

Each of the seven counties in and around the Orca Pass area has appointed a Marine Resources Committee, and these are working to develop and implement local plans to achieve marine conservation goals. The Northwest Straits Commission, comprised of Marine Resource Committee and state-appointed representatives, is overseeing and coordinating federal funding for these efforts.

Whatcom County’s Marine Resources Committee, for example, has developed print materials and conducted community workshops on bottomfish to educate and involve residents in their protection and recovery.

San Juan County’s Marine Stewardship Area plan includes raising public awareness of the importance of marine resources by declaring the county a stewardship area and educating the public about the range of existing protections, and developing marine area zones (eg. preservation, conservation, recreation, and general use zones) to foster behavioral changes, such as slower vessel speeds near shorelines and not anchoring in depths likely to contain eelgrass. The county is planning a September symposium to bring together rockfish and lingcod scientists and managers from tribes, state and universities to examine the life histories of these species and the management history of these fish in county waters.

For more info, contact Mike Sato, People for Puget Sound: msato@pugetsound.org

 

TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

In 1998 the Islands Trust and San Juan County, the elected governments at the local level in Canada’s Gulf Islands and the US San Juan Islands, signed an agreement to work together on matters of mutual interest.

The Islands Trust area covers over 470 islands and the waters between southern Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, including Howe Sound and as far north as Comox. San Juan County is comprised of over 172 islands in Puget Sound.

REASONS TO WORK TOGETHER

The Islands Trust Council and San Juan County Board of Commissioners recognize the similarity of their circumstances and challenges. In creating their agreement in 1998, they acknowledged that:

• They represented the interests of over 642 islands in Howe Sound, Georgia Strait and Puget Sound.

• The islands share airspace, watersheds and a marine environment.

• The population within and surrounding the area is expected to increase from 6 to approximately 8.5 million by 2010.

• The management of growth will require effective strategies to preserve and protect the islands and waters of the Trust Area and San Juan County.

• Local government can make a significant contribution to the protection of the shared environment.

A COMMON PURPOSE IN MARINE STEWARDSHIP

• San Juan County and the Islands Trust have agreed on the following objectives for protecting their shared marine waters:

• To protect biological diversity, representative ecosystems and special natural features;

• To conserve fish and their habitats;

• To promote understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the region;

• To recognize marine resource values for recreation, tourism and commerce;

• To pursue scientific research opportunities; and

• To promote increased public education and awareness of the marine environment.