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The Three Goals of the Conservation Framework are:
- Contribute to global efforts for species and ecosystem conservation
- Prevent species and ecosystems from becoming at risk
- Maintain the diversity of native species and ecosystems
The Conservation Framework species and ecosystems tools have been built, tested and reviewed
by leading conservation scientists. Now being implemented, the Framework will determine the conservation actions needed for species and ecosystems of conservation concern in British Columbia for management action using the
Prioritization Tool and the Action Sorting Tool.
The Prioritization Tool
This tool ranks B.C. species and ecosystems of conservation concern for management action,
based on five clearly defined criteria:
- global and provincial status
- trends
- threats
- stewardship responsibility
- feasibility of recovery
Each species or ecosystem receives a rank of 1 (highest) through 6 (lowest) under each of the
three goals and is placed under the goal in which it receives the highest score. For example, the
mountain goat ranks as a priority 1 under goal 2. It is globally secure, but has declined in B.C.,
thereby raising the conservation concern. However, the species also has a high feasibility of
recovery.
The Action Sorting Tool
This tool places high-ranking species and ecosystems under each goal into appropriate management actions using a
transparent decision-making process (see table below). Actions are grouped into assessing,
planning & listing, and acting. This transparent approach encourages alignment of actions across sectors, allowing us to pool resources and act together for species and ecosystems of conservation
concern. Examples of actions for the mountain goat include: trend monitoring, initiating a management
plan, habitat protection and population management (access management, helicopter disturbance
guidelines, reintroductions and augmentations) and adjusting hunting levels.
Conservation Framework action groups for species and ecosystems in British Columbia.
Action groups marked with an * indicate the action is only applicable to species. All other action groups are applicable to both species and ecosystems.
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Conservation Action |
Description |
Assessing |
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Review status rank |
Latest trend and threat information may not be incorporated:
return to CDC (S-ranks and estimated G ranks) or NatureServe (G-ranks) for re-evaluation. |
Compile status report |
Compile or update a status report. May
require research on threats, trends, habitat use, life history or demography. |
Inventory |
Inventory the species or ecological community to confirm or determine status rank. May require research on inventory
techniques. |
Monitor trends |
Monitor the species, its habitat, or the ecological community at an interval appropriate
to the life history of the organism, or the successional development of the ecological community. May require research on monitoring techniques. |
Review taxonomy and classification |
Invest in taxonomic studies to determine taxonomic validity for species or invest in classification and correlation of newly identified ecological communities. |
|
Planning & Listing |
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Planning |
Includes preparing a Management Plan or Recovery Strategy and
Action Plan, landscape planning, or updating an existing plan; also includes implementing and monitoring
effectiveness of the plan and monitoring the effect on the species' population or habitat or an ecological community. May require research on threats, habitat use, mitigation or recovery techniques. |
Send to COSEWIC* |
Send to COSEWIC for assessment as a first step to listing
under the federal Species at Risk Act as Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened, or Special
Concern or for assessment at a higher or lower risk category. |
List under Wildlife Act* |
List under Wildlife Act as an Extirpated, Endangered
or Threatened species. Includes describing residences as per the provisions of the act where
warranted. |
|
Acting |
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Ecosystem and habitat protection |
Use legislation, policies and guidelines to protect the ecological community or species’ habitat. For example, Forest & Range Practices Act, protected areas, land use orders, stewardship, and best management practices. For species, may require research on habitat needs or inventory to determine suitable areas for protection. |
Ecosystem and habitat restoration |
Apply management and/or restoration techniques to maintain or restore the ecological community or species’ habitat. Includes invasive species control, maintaining or restoring natural processes and key structures, fire suppression and prescribed burning. |
Private land stewardship |
This group contains a subset of ecosystems and species from the ecosystem and habitat protection and restoration action groups that are of conservation concern but occur on private land and /or in situations outside the scope of more traditional legislation, policies, and formal guidelines. |
| Species and population management* |
Assign to appropriate management tools to address non-habitat threats. For example, captive breeding, translocation, disease management, alien predator or competitor control, public education. May require research and monitoring. |
| Review resource use |
Adjust harvest levels and/or increase penalties and enforcement for species. Work in collaboration with resource ministries and land managers to review existing tenures (water use, forestry, grazing, mining etc) and determine where existing tenures are contributing to declines for ecological communities. |
No new action |
Existing management is effective; no additional conservation action is warranted. Assess whether ongoing programs need to be maintained. May require effectiveness evaluation of existing activities and monitoring of the species, habitat, or ecological community. |
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NEW! Changes to action group names for species
If you have already been using the Conservation Framework outputs for species you will have noticed some changes to action group names. This was done in order to streamline action groups across species and ecosystems. With the exception of habitat tools for species, action group definitions have not changed. The old habitat tools action group for species has been further subdivided into three new action groups. For a complete list of name changes for species action groups and new associated codes that are used in the spreadsheet of outputs, click here (PDF 112Kb).
Implementation
The Conservation Framework will be used to determine conservation activities
conducted by the Ministry of Environment, as part of the annual business planning cycle. Actions
will be implemented by allocating resources to priority species and ecosystems,
taking into account other business considerations such as legal obligations, existing commitments
and partnership opportunities. Ongoing monitoring and reporting will inform the re-assessment of priorities, actions and species and ecosystem status.
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