| Summary: | The creation of a marine protected area in British Columbia is a political process that
must reconcile the wants of several jurisdictions and interests. One forum for consultation
and reconciliation is a consensus process, where individuals representing differing interests
engage in long-term, face-to-face discussions, seeking agreement on strategy, plans, policies,
and actions. This study employed qualitative methods to examine the successes and
shortcomings of the consensus process associated with the forthcoming designation of the
Xwayarj (Race Rocks) Marine Protected Area, which will be Canada's first marine protected
area under the federal Oceans Act. Known as the Race Rocks Advisory Board, this process
included government, aboriginal and stakeholder representatives, and was successful at
negotiating consensus recommendations in support of designation. Notable among the
recommendations were provisions for the creation of a no-take zone, and for the
establishment of a co-management regime involving First Nations, British Columbia and
Canada. However, once submitted, these recommendations were misrepresented in the
federal government's regulatory approval process, leading to protest by various First Nations
and a halt to final designation. Both the misrepresentation and the protest involved groups
that were not part of the Race Rocks Advisory Board. This suggests that consensus processes
for the creation of marine protected areas should include representatives from each part of
the designation process, including delegates from all affected First Nations and all relevant
branches of government. To achieve this, it is recommended that future consensus
processes be jointly convened by Canada, British Columbia and affected First Nations,
respecting the government-to-government relationship between the three parties. The joint
convenors would negotiate what form of co-ordination and facilitation should take place in
the process, and which stakeholders should be involved. In effect, this would be a comanaged
consensus process — an experiment with a new form of public engagement, which
is in keeping with the 'learning-by-doing' approach endorsed by federal policies for the
creation of marine protected areas under the Oceans Act. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of === Graduate
|
|---|
