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Regional Wildlife Advisory Committees

Last updated on November 22, 2023

Action 2 in the Together for Wildlife strategy commits to create or expand existing Regional Wildlife Advisory Committees to represent a variety of perspectives and provide opportunities for collaboration to improve wildlife stewardship.

This commitment is founded on the principle that wildlife stewardship is a shared responsibility that requires diverse viewpoints.

Action 2 aims to bring communities together to:

  • Represent a unified voice for wildlife and their habitat
  • Foster dialogue between parties with diverse perspectives and knowledge systems
  • Strengthen individual and collective relationships with the land
  • Work collaboratively towards common goals and shared objectives

Role and function

There are many possible roles and functions as these groups come together. Their role will be advisory, not decision making. They will support sharing of perspectives, collaboration, and relationship-building among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in an ethical space which prioritizes healthy ecosystems (e.g., biodiversity, wildlife and their habitats, and ecosystem function).

Ethical Space frameworks consider bridging western worldviews and Indigenous worldviews by opening a culturally safe environment in which the western written culture and knowledge and the Indigenous oral culture and knowledge come together to allow learning and understanding one another.

They may also:

  • Collaboratively identify shared regional priorities and goals, including informing wildlife and habitat objectives
  • Support regional planning to guide the implementation of the Together for Wildlife strategy in both the short and long term
  • Measure effectiveness and performance related to regional implementation of the Together for Wildlife strategy
  • Play an important role in providing regional scale, high level, technical advice
  • Link with other existing regional and provincial level groups
  • Facilitate implementation of the Together for Wildlife strategy (for example by identifying related projects undertaken through different initiatives)

Structures that are developed to meet the intent of Action 2 will respect and recognize the distinct relationship between provincial and indigenous governing bodies.

These structures will uphold the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and support reconciliation.

Implementation

Since April 2022, ministry staff have been working in collaboration with the Ministers’ Wildlife Advisory Council, the First Nations – B.C. Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum and the Provincial Hunting and Trapping Advisory Team to develop options for group structures (e.g., committees, working groups, round table), guiding principles and draft Terms of Reference.

Ministry staff in many regions of the province have started engaging with interested parties, exploring how to implement Action 2, and having early conversations to determine the best approach to implement Action 2. Some regions have identified the advisory structures they want to use and are now seeking members to participate.

Learn more about these current call for applications:

Engagement work in other regions of B.C. is ongoing. Updates will be made to this website as information is available.