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Ministry of Environment

Terms of Reference for Species at Risk Task Force

Purpose

The Species at Risk Task Force will provide recommendations to the B.C. government to help it update its vision for the conservation of species and ecosystems at risk and ensure British Columbia remains a leader in environmental sustainability.

The task force will build on the provincial government’s Conservation Framework and Conservation Data Centre, and provide fiscally responsible and economically viable recommendations on the following topics:

  • Defining Vision, Principles and Outcomes: Where should our conservation efforts be focused, what principles should guide future development of a species at risk program in B.C., and what are the measurable outcomes that best address the fundamental threats to biodiversity in B.C. and help us achieve our vision?
  • Environmental Management: In light of climate change and multiple development demands, what management methods need to be advanced to meet our conservation targets?
  • Regulatory Framework: What changes are required to the existing regulatory framework to ensure we balance ecological and socio-economic considerations and best achieve our conservation targets?
  • Private Land Stewardship: How do we advance private land stewardship and conserve species and ecosystems at risk on private land in B.C. while respecting the interests of taxpayers?
  • Effective First Nation and Stakeholder Communications and Engagement: What are the key elements of a communications and engagement strategy to ensure communities, First Nations, private landowners, and all other stakeholders who operate on the province’s land and water base understand and value the benefits of species at risk conservation.

Secretariat Support

The Ministry of Environment will provide secretariat support to the task force and will coordinate research, analysis and documentation prepared by staff in other ministries and agencies or under contract.

Reporting

The task force will make recommendations to the Cabinet Committee on Environment and Land Use. The report will be in the form of a short paper (15-25 pages in length) providing analysis and advice on the topics identified and any other pertinent matters. The advice may be the opinion of all members or one or more of the members. The task force is not a decision-making body, but rather an advisory body making recommendations to government. As such the recommendations are not public, but Cabinet intends to make the recommendations public in some form.

Membership

The task force will consist of a small but balanced group of well-respected, credible individuals from a range of sectors, who understand the biological, socio-economic and socio-political complexities associated with this topic and who are prepared to work with others to find solutions to the issues. Members were selected for their skills and attributes and their ability to operate at the policy, regulatory and strategic level and not their technical expertise. Members are expected to contribute their individual perspectives, knowledge and intellect, and are specifically requested not to represent their affiliation or the interests of any specific group or stakeholder interest.