Photo credit: Blair Piggot
Kootenay Conservation Program partnered with Wildsight Golden to bring together over 30 experts through the Zoom platform to identify priority actions that will contribute to maintaining healthy fish and wildlife populations and ecological functions in the Golden Area over the next 5 years. The participants had to opportunity to view nine pre-recorded “speed” presentations from scientists to inform attendees of current conservation issues and recommendations to address them.
The participants then broke out into groups to work on issues and resolutions. The five groups came up with five action plans based on these themes:
1. Combine Science and Indigenous Knowledge to Protect Habitat for Species at Risk and Biodiversity
2. Identify and Prioritize for Conservation Multi-Species Wildlife Corridors
3. Reduce Intensity of Human Disturbance in Backcountry, Sensitive Areas and Wildlife Corridors
4. Mitigate Recreational Impacts by Incorporating Recreation and Ecological Data to Inform Land Use Decision-Making
5. . Build Climate Disruption, Adaptation and Mitigation Thinking into All Conservation Activities
This was all compiled by the Kootenay Conservation Program into a comprehensive report and plan which can be viewed here.
As the report states: “The five priority actions (listed above) were collectively generated and incorporated policies, objectives and activities that align with participants’ organizational and programmatic interests. All participants, as well as those people who were invited but could not attend the Golden Forum, will be provided with the Forum’s findings and will be encouraged to pursue these priority actions as they are able. This Conservation Action Forum has helped KCP’s partners in the Golden area to develop on the-ground solutions to mitigating threats in their local neighbourhood.”
These five priority action plans are available to advise Wildsight Golden when planning their conservation initiatives over the next three years. The plans will advise our studies on the West Bench, our work with the Golden Backcountry Recreation Action Community, our communications and input in the Golden and Area A Trails Alliance works, and to provide background information for our reviews of industrial and recreational development plans.
This was the sixth Conservation Action Forum facilitated by the Kootenay Conservation Program. You can review all the reports, including Golden’s on their website.