E-Newsletter, No. November 2008

In a time of economic uncertainty
The current state of the global economy highlights the need to protect the re-sources that feed us. Healthy oceans and a healthy economy go hand in hand for the communities in Canada’s Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). The incredible abun-dance and diversity of the marine envi-ronment here is closely linked to our own personal well-being as well as the strength of local economies.

In the face of economic uncertainty and increasing industrialization, this valuable living ecosystem needs to be carefully managed. An integrated management plan for PNCIMA will allow the diverse, but connected activities in the region to be planned for in a thoughtful and cohe-sive way that maximizes benefits while minimizing harmful impacts in order to maintain the health of the whole system.

A marine plan help will provide certainty
for coastal communities in uncertain economic times.
BC’s local governments vote YES for PNCIMA
BC’s largest local government voting body, the Union of BC Municipalities, voted in September for a resolution that supports an integrated oceans management plan.

The resolution calls on the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to im-mediately commit to increased engage-ment and collaboration in PNCIMA. The passage of this resolution demonstrates widespread community-level support and demand for improved management of this productive and valuable living ecosystem.
Now that local communities and NGOs are formal and active supporters of an integrated marine planning process for PNCIMA it is time for the Federal, Pro-vincial and First Nations governments to get the show on the road.

Click to read full resolution

Spreading the PNCIMA Buzz
The buzz about PNCIMA is spreading. There are now two information tools out on the street for everyone’s use and en-joyment. They are excellent educational tools for decision-makers, educators, tourism operators and anyone who has an interest in Canada’s Pacific North Coast. They can be used to stimulate discussions about the place they live, play and work.

A new PNCIMA brochure produced by Living Oceans Society is now available. Planning for Our Ocean in a Changing World: The Pacific North Coast Inte-grated Management Area (PNCIMA) shows the diversity of the PNCIMA re-gion through a colourful and informative map. The brochure provides an over-view of marine planning including simple definitions and clarification of why a plan is needed and what will be achieved.

To request a hardcopy be sent to you please email jgates@livingoceans.org. You can also click here to download a copy of the map. However, we suggest you ask for a free hardcopy so you can hang it on your fridge.

This month, thousands of people across BC have been learning about Canada’s Pacific North Coast in BC’s Bountiful Sea: A Heritage Worth Preserving. . This publication has been the buzz among the region’s fishermen, tourism operators, local governments, First Na-tions chiefs and councils, whale watch-ers, shipping industry, cruise ship com-panies, fish farmers, local organizations, sports fisherman, fishing charters, and government managers. There are over 2000 copies of this booklet out in the communities and the requests for more keep coming in.


About PNCIMA
The Pacific North Coast Integrated Man-agement Area (PNCIMA) includes wa-ters of Northern Vancouver Island, the Central Coast, North Coast, and Haida Gwaii in British Columbia. This ocean area is a valuable living system contrib-uting to the economic, environmental and social health of its coastal communities.

Management to date has not always been effective at addressing all of the issues in this region, resulting in the
degradation of certain marine environments and fisheries.

PNCIMAwatch.ca was created to document the progress of the federal, provin-cial and First Nations governments in taking measurable action to launch a marine planning process in the PNCIMA that will establish a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) and an inte-grated management regime designed to maintain ecosystem health and integrity both inside and outside those areas.

This is the sixth e-newsletter PNCIMA Watch has sent to provide regular up-dates on the progress of governments toward showing true leadership in estab-lishing a marine planning process in the PNCIMA, one that will enable the people who work and live on this coast to create a vision for the future that includes healthy oceans and healthy communi-ties. Past e-newsletters can be downloaded online at www.PNCIMAwatch.ca.

Who We Are
The organizations that created PNCIMA Watch include the Living Oceans Soci-ety, the David Suzuki Foundation, and the Sierra Club, British Columbia. To-gether these groups are working to in-form those who are interested in estab-lishing an integrated management plan for the PNCIMA that improves ocean management and establishes a rigorous conservation plan for the region.
Our organizations are committed to pro-tecting and restoring healthy marine ecosystems in the PNCIMA. We believe that the best way to achieve this out-come is through a collaborative marine planning process that includes bringing together the people who work and live on the coast. Only in this way can we decide how best to use the ocean and its resources sustainably.