Government Actions Regulation

Under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), the Government Actions Regulation (GAR) directs how the B.C. provincial government establishes land designations or stewardship measures for forest and range values.

On this page

• Types of decisions supported by GAR
• Ministerial orders establishing designations for the special management of watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat
• Ministerial orders establishing designations for the special management of visual quality and resource features

Types of decisions supported by GAR

The following are the types of decisions supported by GAR. Use the links below to navigate to each section for more information and data tables (where relevant). 

• Decisions about categories of species, including:
  • Species at risk and ecological communities at risk 
  • Regionally important wildlife and ecological communities 
  • Ungulates
• Decisions that trigger planning requirements (objectives) for wildlife:
  • Objectives for species and ecological communities at risk
  • Objectives for ungulates
• Decisions that trigger practice requirements for protection of:
  • Wildlife
  • Resource features
  • Wildlife habitat features
  • Temperature sensitive streams
• Land use decisions for designating, managing, or protecting:
  • Community watersheds
  • Fisheries sensitive watersheds
  • Lakeshore management zones
  • Scenic areas
  • Specified areas for wildlife
  • Ungulate winter ranges
  • Wildlife habitat areas

Ministerial orders establishing designations for the special management of watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat

Species at risk and ecological communities at risk

Under FRPA, species at risk and ecological communities at risk are those that:

• Are classified as “endangered”, “threatened” or “vulnerable”
• Are impacted by forest or range management activities
• Require special habitat management

Seventy species at risk and 15 ecological communities at risk are listed under FRPA.

Learn more about these species and ecological communities by using:

• BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer

Categories of species and ecological communities

The provincial minister who is responsible for the Wildlife Act may establish categories of wildlife species and ecological communities under Section 13 of GAR. These categories enable special management under FRPA, such as identifying areas of important habitat (wildlife habitat areas, ungulate winter ranges  or other specified areas) and regulating forest and range activities in those areas.

List of species at risk

List of ecological communities at risk

Regionally important wildlife and ecological communities

Regionally important wildlife and ecological communities are those that:

• Are important to a particular region of B.C.
• Rely on or provide habitat that requires special management that is not otherwise provided for under legislation
• May be adversely impacted by forest and range management practices

No species or ecological communities in B.C. have been established as regionally important.

Ungulates

B.C. is home to several species of ungulates, which are hoofed mammals such as deer, moose and caribou. Winter conditions are challenging for ungulates. To survive the winter, they move to areas that provide shelter, forage, and thermal conditions essential for their survival.  

List of ungulate species under FRPA

Ungulate winter ranges

Ungulate winter ranges (UWRs) are areas where ungulates move during the winter to find food and shelter from the snow and cold. These areas are essential for ungulate survival and help maintain healthy ungulate populations.

Some of these areas may be formally established as UWRs by ministerial order under Section 12 of GAR. Such UWR orders include spatial boundaries and operational requirements for the UWR. A key goal of UWRs is to reduce the impact of forest and range activities on ungulates and maintain important habitat characteristics.

Within UWRs, forest or range activities may be restricted, modified or limited to specific times of the year to ensure conditions remain favourable for the ungulates’ survival over the winter.

UWRs range from small “no harvest” areas to larger areas where forest and range management practices are implemented in a manner that maintains important ungulate habitat attributes.

• List of approved UWRs 
• Spatial data for approved UWRs

Objectives for ungulates

Objectives for conserving sufficient habitat for ungulates may be defined under the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation (Section 7) and the Woodlot Licence Planning and Practices Regulation (Section 9). These objectives describe the amount, distribution and attributes of habitat required by species for a Tree Farm Licence or Timber Supply Area.

Licensees include strategies in their forest plans to meet these objectives. Objectives also guide the implementation of UWRs. As government formally establishes and spatializes objectives through designated UWRs, the B.C. government may exempt licence holders from including objectives in their forest plans, either fully or partially.

Tracking objectives for ungulates is currently under review.

Wildlife habitat areas

A wildlife habitat area (WHA) is an area that has been identified as important habitat for wildlife and is mapped and established by ministerial order under Section 10 of GAR. WHAs may be established for species at risk or regionally important wildlife.

WHAs support the recovery of species at risk and regionally important wildlife in B.C. by conserving important habitat and modifying or restricting forest or range activities in these areas. WHAs are often focused on protecting nesting, breeding or denning sites that are essential for the survival and reproduction of a species.

• List of approved WHAs
• Spatial data for approved WHAs

Objectives for species at risk and ecological communities at risk

Objectives to conserve sufficient habitat for species at risk may be defined under the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation (Section 7) and the Woodlot Licence Planning and Practices Regulation (Section 9). These habitat objectives for species at risk describe the amount, distribution, and attributes of habitat required by species at the forest district level.

Licensees include strategies in their forest plans to meet these objectives. Objectives also guide the establishment of WHAs. As government formally establishes and spatializes objectives through designated WHAs, it may exempt licence holders from including such objectives in their forest plans, either fully or partially.

Tracking objectives for species at risk is currently under review.

Specified areas for wildlife 

General wildlife measures are specific forest or range practice requirements that are applied within WHAs, UWAs or other specified areas, with the intent of protecting wildlife and their habitats.

A specified area in this context can be formally established by ministerial order under Section 9 of GAR. These areas are established to protect or conserve the habitats of species at risk, regionally important wildlife, or ungulates.

Specified areas are similar to WHAs and UWAs but they may not be formally mapped. Instead, the area may be described in the order, such as “within 100 metres of an existing boundary”, or based on existing ecological or administrative units.

Specified areas are often larger than WHAs and provide more flexibility in meeting management objectives, such as timing forest or range activities to particular times of the year. Their primary goal is to reduce the impact of forest or range activities on specific wildlife habitat values. They are particularly important for managing the habitats of species such as caribou, grizzly bears, and fish.

These areas are tracked together with WHAs and UWRs.

Fisheries sensitive watersheds

Fisheries sensitive watersheds (FSWs) are designated watersheds with significant fisheries values that are sensitive to impacts from disturbances such as road construction or forest fires. The designation of FSWs is intended to help sustain healthy fish populations by managing watershed processes in upland and aquatic areas to protect aquatic habitat conditions that are important to fish populations.

Once an FSW has been established by ministerial order, licence and permit holders must reflect the order’s objectives in their forest plans. Objectives aim to conserve important watershed processes and attributes that protect fish habitat values, including:

• Natural hydrological conditions
• Natural stream bed dynamics
• Stream channel integrity
• Quality, quantity and timing of water flow

Meeting FSW objectives also helps prevent cumulative hydrological effects that may be detrimental to fish populations.

Learn more about how FSWs are established:

• List of approved FSWs
• Fisheries sensitive watershed: Default-objectives and designation procedure (PDF, 846KB) 
• Spatial data for approved FSWs

Temperature sensitive streams

A stream may be designated as a temperature sensitive stream by ministerial order, under Section 15 of GAR, if:

• Trees are required to be adjacent to the stream to manage the temperature of the designated portion of that stream for the protection of fish within it, and
• Management of the temperature of the designated portion of the stream is not otherwise provided

No streams in B.C. have been designated as temperature sensitive streams.

Ministerial orders establishing designations for the special management of visual quality and resource features

Scenic areas

Coast Area

North Area

South Area