The Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area meets the criteria for inclusion in the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database.
That was the recommendation endorsed by council last week, acknowledging the area as integral to achieving Canada’s biodiversity goals.
The federal government expressed interest in adding the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area to the database and approached the city regarding the Municipal Protected Areas Project, which identifies municipal and regional lands that are protected for conservation purposes.
A staff report notes that it has been recognized by the federal government that local government protected areas are integral to achieving Canada’s biodiversity goals but are under reported on the database.
BC Nature assists local governments in assessing candidate sites against the federal criteria for protected areas and then in registering the lands in the database.
The report notes the goal is to include those lands in the accounting of protected areas in Canada, helping Canada to achieve its commitment at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) to protect 30 per cent of Canadian lands and waters by 2030, commonly referred to as the 30×30 target.
The conservancy area is already protected through public ownership and a conservation covenant. Addition to the Canadian database does not involve nor imply any additional protection status or restrictions on how the lands are managed, the report adds.
The Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area is owned by Delta, Metro Vancouver and the province. The adjacent Delta Nature Reserve, where the boardwalks are located, is co-owned by Metro Vancouver and Delta.
Metro Vancouver intends to also add all regional parks to the database, including Deas Island and Boundary Bay.
