Provincial funding for wildlife management and resource stewardship must increase

The government’s capacity to manage wildlife has declined steadily for decades. Their ability to conduct meaningful science and inventories is scraping along at rock bottom.  Wildlife populations are down, with iconic species teetering on the brink of extinction.

British Columbia has changed dramatically over the years. The number of people has increased, as has the need for housing and jobs, but the residential and industrial sprawl has encroached on the wilderness that drew many of us here in the first place. 

Government revenue is going up, but we are not investing it in natural resource management. In fact, the proportion of government expenditures spent on fish and wildlife has dropped by 75 per cent between 1993 and today.

Funding for fish and wildlife management in British Columbia is estimated at about $7 per capita and in Alberta about $9 per capita. Contrast that with expenditures in nearby jurisdictions such as Washington ($29), Montana ($91), and Alaska ($235). 

In 2024, BC will spend less than 1% of the annual provincial budget on wildlife management! Despite having one of the most bio-diverse regions in North America, we spend less per person, less per animal, and less per square kilometer than our neighbors and it shows!

Wildlife is supposed to be managed as a public, shared resource for the benefit of all Canadians. One of the ways that this resource is shared by many British Columbians is as a food source. Many of us choose to feed our families with fresh, organic wild meat rather than processed, factory-farmed proteins. Hunters, more than anyone, want wildlife populations to be healthy and plentiful so that we can harvest a small percentage.

Hunters are willing to pay for this privilege; we pay a surcharge on licenses and tags, amounting to about 20 per cent of fees paid, which funds wildlife and habitat enhancement via the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. When asked, hunters have told B.C. researchers they would pay even more if those fees were dedicated to supporting wildlife. That same research found that hunters overwhelmingly support handing wildlife management over to an agency independent of government.

Hunters are adamant that their highest priorities for wildlife management are that it be sustainable for future generations and that decisions should be driven by science. Unfortunately, the decline of funding for wildlife management has severely curtailed data collection, which means we don’t have a good understanding about the health of many species and wildlife populations. You cannot manage what you cannot count.

Research respondents strongly believe that elected officials cannot be trusted to follow science, act for future generations, or to spend money wisely. We have seen our government curtail hunting in backroom deals to expand industrial activities that do real harm to wildlife. This must end.

Dedicated, annual funding of a minimum $200 million for renewable resource management is required. These funds should be derived from hunting license fees and charges, wildlife act fines, and from any activity that impacts wildlife and its habitat such as forestry, oil and gas extraction, mining, wildlife viewing, ecotourism, and backcountry recreational activities and other revenue sources deemed necessary to reach this target. 

We must dedicate a sensible portion of the provincial budget to natural resource management and rededicate ourselves to data collection and quality scientific analysis for the health of B.C.’s iconic species.

It’s time to review how we spend our dollars. It’s time for government to act responsibly as to relates to funding renewable resource management.

It’s time to Put Wildlife First.

Ask your candidates if their party will increase dollars for renewable resource management and how much?