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Together for Wildlife Strategy Development

Last updated on July 24, 2024

The Together for Wildlife strategy was developed with Indigenous peoples, rural communities, academic institutions and a wide range of organizations. The engagement process ran from spring of 2018 to the summer of 2020.

We all share a vision of thriving wildlife and resilient habitats that support and enrich the lives of all British Columbians. The goal of the Together for Wildlife strategy was to bring together diverse perspectives to help make sound and reasonable decisions about wildlife stewardship in B.C.

The engagement process consisted of four phases:

Initial discussions

We reached out and sought perspectives and input from Indigenous peoples, rural communities, wildlife and habitat organizations, natural resource development industry partners and the public. We wanted to know the issues and concerns that they believed should be considered in any new approaches to wildlife management and habitat conservation. The input and feedback were then summarized in “What we heard” papers describing the major themes and issues received through our initial engagement. That input was subsequently used to refine, clarify and communicate the engagement process and to ultimately develop the best strategy for wildlife and habitat possible.

The first phase of engagement was held from May 22 to July 31, 2018. We received over 1,100 comments through the website discussion and close to 50 written submissions.

What we heard summary reports

During phase 1, Indigenous peoples, interested parties and the public were asked to share their concerns and ideas for new approaches to improve wildlife management and habitat conservation. We received hundreds of e-mails, thousands of online comments, and met with over 100 Indigenous communities and 50 organizations. The following reports summarize what we heard.

Analysis and collaborative policy development

From December 2018 to October 2019, we worked closely with a newly established B.C.-First Nation Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum and interested parties from a range of sectors to identify priority policy options for the government to consider. The engagement involved monthly meetings with the B.C.-First Nation Wildlife Forum, and a series of webinars and workshops with a focus on collaborative policy development.

What we heard from that outreach is summarized here - Phase 2 Engagement Progress Update (PDF, 2.6MB) including challenges and opportunities, recommendations for improving wildlife management and habitat conservation, and how people would like to be engaged in the future.

First Nations–B.C. Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum

In December 2018, the First Nations-B.C. Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum was created in response to the province’s Improving Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Initiative (renamed the Together for Wildlife strategy) as an innovative way to obtain perspectives from First Nations across British Columbia on wildlife stewardship issues. The Forum is comprised of participants from more than 40 B.C. First Nations. Their work was not consultation and members do not represent any other First Nation. The Forum helped draft the Together for Wildlife strategy with the province.

Interested parties engagement

A webinar with interested parties was held in December of 2018 to recap what was heard in Phase 1, introduce Phase 2 of the engagement process and outline the priority areas for future discussions. In January 2019, a two-day workshop was held to begin to develop policy options for the province to consider and lay the groundwork for future engagement and discussion through webinars. A series of webinars were presented in spring 2019 to focus discussions on the eight priority policy areas previously identified. The Stakeholder Policy Recommendations Report (PDF, 0.6MB) summarizes these policy recommendations to government on how to improve wildlife management and habitat conservation in the province.

Validation of policy options

The collaborative work undertaken in phases 1 and 2 culminated in a draft Together for Wildlife strategy, which outlines 5 priority goals and 23 actions to improve wildlife management and habitat conservation. The strategy was built over 21 months through an unprecedented conversation with British Columbians and has resulted in a government commitment to making significant new investments and developing new partnerships to collaboratively deliver stewardship together.

During the third phase of engagement, we continued to engage with First Nations in B.C. and checked in with interested parties and the general public to make sure that the right actions were identified in the draft Together for Wildlife strategy. This phase began with workshops with the B.C.-First Nation Wildlife Forum and interested parties in October 2019, and continued with broader engagement in fall 2019.

Together for Wildlife strategy implementation

The Together for Wildlife strategy was launched in August of 2020 to provide a broad vision for wildlife management and habitat conservation in the province and the work to implement that the strategy continues today.

Examples of the work completed or underway include:

  • Formed the Minister’s Wildlife Advisory Council
  • Increased investment to wildlife monitoring and inventory projects across the province to fill critical information gaps for priority species
  • Funded almost 400 projects to enhance wildlife and habitat protection
  • Made changes to the Wildlife Act to move us closer to reconciliation with First Nations
  • Assessments to prioritize and delivery of on-the-ground stewardship projects across the province to improve wildlife habitat
  • Invested in Conservation Land management through partnerships with non-governmental organizations
  • Launched a province-wide review of land designations under provincial legislation, to ensure they effectively contribute to conservation
  • Contributed funding to universities to support wildlife and habitat research
  • In 2025, we will complete a comprehensive review of the Together for Wildlife strategy and revise it appropriately based on the knowledge gained

For more information on the implementation of the strategy, visit the Together For Wildlife Implementation page.