Public Support for Land Acquisition: A Key Instrument for Successful Land Conservation, Governance and Management

Abstract

While it is recognized that protected areas are important for biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing, governments struggle to establish and/or enlarge protected areas. Land acquisition and the challenges encountered by governing institutions in funding protected area systems expansion is discussed in this paper using the Capital Regional District (CRD) Land Acquisition Fund as a case study. We briefly discuss land acquisition in British Columbia and in the CRD, and offer an overview of the CRD Land Acquisition Fund and the public participation process that led to its establishment. We emphasize the importance of developing political and citizen support, and a shared vision about expanding protected areas systems - a key element for nearly doubling the parkland base of CRD Regional Parks in less than 20 years. We conclude by offering the lessons learned through the case study and provide guidance for policy and governance directions with regard to land acquisition.

Keywords:

• British Columbia
• land acquisition fund
• protected areas
• policy
• public engagement and support

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Sarah Forbes for providing the Land Acquisition map and the CRD for information and their support in the writing of this paper.

Notes

1 The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in Victoria in August 2018 was $888,300 (http://creastats.crea.ca/vict/). For historical index benchmark value see: https://www.vreb.org/historical-statistics

2 Likert scale ranging from not a priority to high priority, used from 1998 onward.