Land use, Conservation, and Participation in British Columbia's Gulf Islands

The Gulf Islands of southwest British Columbia, Canada, have long been known for both their natural and cultural resources. These resources have attracted growing populations of both residents and visitors since at least the... [ view full abstract ]

The Gulf Islands of southwest British Columbia, Canada, have long been known for both their natural and cultural resources. These resources have attracted growing populations of both residents and visitors since at least the 1970s. This lead to the Islands Trust’s establishment in an effort to conserve their natural environments while providing for local input into governance; and later to the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. As population and development pressures have grown, especially in the last twenty years, so on the one hand have calls for a strengthened Trust, and on the other for more direct local control over land use and other decisions on the Islands, e.g. by municipal incorporation. The issue has been raised more than once, most recently in 2015-17, but defeated in a contentious referendum. Drawing on document analysis and key informant interviews, this paper explores the history of governance and land use conflict in the Gulf Islands, with an emphasis on the changing community and the evolution of conservation and development initiatives in the islands. These are intertwined, and also connected with policy and planning by upper tier governments. Governance lessons to improve acceptance and effectiveness of planning activities are identified, with relevance to both land and marine planning and management.