VERNON, B.C. – British Columbia ranchers can breathe a sigh of relief with the announcement that grazing will be permitted in environmentally protected areas of the province.
Agriculture minister Dave Zirnhelt made the announcement at the recent B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting here. Grazing will be allowed wherever it is suitable, said the minister.
The British Columbia government is immersed in an ongoing land use study to protect environmentally sensitive areas and clearly define how resources from the land will be used throughout the province.
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Land use plans are in progress for the Cariboo-Chilcotin, East and West Kootenays and Kamloops regions where grazing on crown land accounts for a large share of the land. About 95 percent of the land base is provincially controlled.
John Morrison, president of the BCCA, said his group has negotiated intensely with government and Protected Areas Strategy committees to ensure that they will not lose their rights to use crown land as pasture. Almost all B.C. ranchers depend on access to crown grazing land, he said.
The Protected Areas Strategy is part of an international environmental effort to set aside 12 percent of the land to preserve the ecology.
For the cattlemen, the major issue is which government department will manage protected areas. They would prefer the forestry department continue as their landlords.
They are also concerned about guaranteed access and security of tenure to this grazing land.
“Our bankers require that we have security of tenure. Without that security we’re not viable,” said Morrison.
With the promise that they will retain grazing rights they will likely have to continue to submit grazing management plans, he said. These plans, which include a spring and fall report, detail how the rancher intends to use the grasslands and water as well as plans for lakeshore or riverbank management.
The Commission on the Resources and Environment was asked by cabinet in 1992 to begin regional land use planning processes in the four major regions of the province. The intention is to establish plans and resolve lengthy environmental and resource conflicts over the land.
