Galiano Island, Galiano Conservancy Association (GCA)

Galiano Island, Southern Gulf Islands, BC, Canada

Formed in 1989 as an instrument for community-based acquisition, management and conservation of land and habitat, the Galiano Conservancy has become a broad-based organization whose primary purpose is “To preserve, protect and enhance the quality of the human and natural environment” on Galiano Island. From its beginning, the Conservancy has been devoted to land and marine conservation, stewardship and restoration; and environmental education and public awareness. The Galiano Conservancy is partnering with the University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies (UVic) and Valdes Island Conservancy (VIC) to engage in multi-faceted rockfish conservation and research.

Top environmental challenge faced by the community (currently or in the past 10 years):

One of the main challenges for Galiano Island is declining marine resources. Located in the Strait of Georgia between the urban centres of Victoria and Vancouver, Galiano is nestled within a hub of tourism and marine activity. Rockfish in particular have seen precipitous declines in abundance, and several species are listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and the Species At Risk Act. Rockfish Conservation Areas were established in the 2000’s, but a joint research project between GCA, VIC and UVic revealed that non-compliance – recreational fishing inside Rockfish Conservation Areas with prohibited gears – was a big problem. The research also showed that most non-compliance was not intentional, but rather due to a lack of awareness and knowledge about the existence or boundaries of Rockfish Conservation Areas.


How the environmental challenge has affected local livelihoods:

Tourism and recreation, including recreational fishing, are important components of Galiano Island’s economy today, and hence recovery of depleted species is a priority.


Community response to the challenge, through environmental stewardship (conservation) initiatives that improve environmental well-being and support sustainable livelihoods:

GCA and UVic partners developed a program in 2014 (ongoing today) to educate and engage the regional and local communities about rockfish and Rockfish Conservation Areas. A key component of the project has been to install signage at key water access points with maps that show the location of Rockfish Conservation Areas. These signs outline the rules and regulations, as well as provide information regarding why rockfish need to be protected. In addition, the program takes a multi-faceted approach through: a presence (e.g., booth) at existing community events to do outreach; in person outreach at water access points (interviews and sharing of educational materials); publication, printing and distribution of engagement materials, scientific findings of monitoring and surveying; presentations at seminars and conferences in the region about this project's importance and findings; installation of "grab and go" brochure boxes to complement existing metal rockfish signage on several islands.


Extent to which governmental policy (at local, regional or national levels, as relevant) has supported, or been contrary to, the community's responses to the environmental challenge:

To see whether this program has an effect on compliance with Rockfish Conservation Areas, and in turn on rockfish populations, the program is engaging in monitoring through three components: 1) Trail cameras are installed during summer months on public and private lands around the south Gulf Islands to monitor recreational fishing effort in Rockfish Conservation Areas. 2) Surveys with recreational fishers take place during the summer on Galiano Island’s main water access points to gauge their knowledge about rockfish conservation, and to ask about visibility of the signage and outreach activities. And 3) underwater surveys to assess rockfish abundance, diversity and biomass are carried out by UVic graduate students (under the supervision of Dr. John Volpe). The federal government has not had the capacity to carry out sufficient education, outreach and enforcement for the Rockfish Conservation Areas to be successful around Galiano Island. They supported GCA’s program and partners through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. Federal support also includes Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC USRA) funding for 3 student summer terms.


Keywords: Ecosystem

Coastal, Marine


Keywords: Resources

Fish


Keywords: Big Issues

Biodiversity, Resource use


Keywords: Solutions

Empowerment, Governance/Management, Protected areas, Public participation


Contributed by: Natalie Ban

The information provided and opinions expressed above are the responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views and analysis of the Community Conservation Research Network (CCRN), nor those of all members of the community described.

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