Guidelines and Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Guidelines and Best Management Practices (BMPs) are approaches based on known science that, if followed, should allow the client to meet the required standard(s) or achieve the desired objective(s).

BMP and Guideline documents exist to help you act as a steward of the environment. The information in these documents will help to ensure that your proposed development activities are planned and carried out in compliance with the various legislation, regulations, and policies that apply to your activity. By understanding the standards activities must meet, you can choose an appropriate set of guidelines and best practices to help carry out your activities to achieve the required standards and objectives.

BMPs and Guideline documents can have a provincial and/or regional context. Provincial documents apply to the entire province but may contain region specific sections. Regional documents have been developed for a specific purpose and may not be applicable to other regions.

NEW! Wetland Stewardship Partnership
Wetland Ways: Interim Guidelines for Wetland Protection and Conservation in British Columbia July, 2009. Developed by the Wetland Stewardship Partnership (WSP), Wetland Ways is a series of guidelines and best practices to help build a comprehensive model for wetland conservation in B.C. These guidelines are intended to avoid and minimize impacts on wetlands on both private and public lands. The document provides general and sector-specific guidelines for wetland protection addressing the unique needs and impacts, as well as management and regulatory considerations, of various industries and groups. Wetland Ways is intended for people involved in some form of planning activity or development near wetlands, as well as those looking for guidance on the best ways to maintain the high ecological values in these areas.

These interim guidelines were prepared with input from many experienced reviewers and will be updated using feedback and experience from pilot user groups over the next two years. We encourage and welcome comments on these guidelines. For more details and links to the document...

NOTE: The March 2006 version of Develop with Care replaces the previous versions (June 2004 and April 2005) of Environmental Best Management Practices for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. This document is intended to assist people who are involved in planning, implementing, reviewing and/or approving land developments in British Columbia’s urban and rural areas. Its primary purpose is to provide province-wide guidelines for the maintenance of environmental values during the development of urban and rural lands. It also provides information on ways that environmental protection and stewardship can benefit the community, the property owner and the developer, as well as the natural environment.
For more detail and links to document...

Best Management Practices for Raptor Conservation during Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. This document was developed to provide additional background information in support of Develop with Care. It is also the companion document to the Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. The document provides general material on raptors, including life history and habitat requirments, for 25 species whose ranges overlap with urban and rural development, and provides best management practices guidelines for activities undertaken in those ranges.
For link to document...(137pp PDF 4.5MB).

Wildlife Guidelines for Backcountry Tourism/Commercial Recreation
These guidelines were developed to ensure that backcountry recreation activities are conducted in a manner that does not compromise the current distribution of wildlife, the sustainability of their populations, or the integrity of their habitats. These guidelines define results, desired behaviours, indicators, and limits for backcountry activities in relation to wildlife and their habitats. These guidelines are intended for use by commercial tourism operators tenured under the Land Act when conducting activities on Crown land, including water-based activities. However, it is anticipated that the guidelines will provide useful guidance for all backcountry recreational users. (These guidelines replace the first version which was published in 2002 as the Interim wildlife guidelines for commercial backcountry recreation in British Columbia.)
For more detail and links to documents . . .

Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia
The document “Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia” is a comprehensive information source and guide. It sets out Best Management Practices designed to help maintain the viability of native amphibian and reptile populations in urban and rural areas of British Columbia subject to land development activities. Its primary purpose is to provide developers, consultants, landscape architects, local and regional governments, urban planners, land use managers and the public with the practical, cost-effective tools and supporting scientific information necessary for mitigating development activity impacts on amphibian and reptile populations in the province. Although often highly modified, urban and rural habitats can still provide important habitat for reptile species and amphibians. Measures to help maintain the viability of these native wildlife species are described in this report. For more detail and links to documents . . .

Instream Flow Guidelines for British Columbia - Working Drafts
Provincial agencies, working in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have developed two guideline documents related to the evaluation of instream flow needs for fish as they relate to proposals to develop small hydroelectric projects.
For more detail and links to documents . . .

Provincial Guidelines and BMPs