The Government of BC has acquired 650 hectares of land it plans to add to 16 provincial parks and two protected areas in the province.
The newly acquired land is valued at more than $9.7 million.
The government didn’t provide details on which parks in the Province the land will be added to.
When the Province acquires new land, there are several steps before it can become a park or protected area.
This includes engagement with Indigenous nations, consultation with local government, defining a legal boundary and legal designation.
“Our parks and protected areas are among the natural treasures of our province and play an important role in our overall health and well-being, especially during COVID-19,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“These areas also provide critical habitat to a number of species. Acquiring additional land means more species and ecosystems will be protected and the land will be here for generations to come.”
BC Parks system is one of the largest park systems in the world.
British Columbia has 1,035 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas covering more than 14 million hectares, or approximately 14.4% of the provincial land base.
During the last three years, 883 hectares of land have been acquired for parks and protected areas.
