Stop wetland loss: Building a new framework for wetland policy design and implementation for British Columbia

Wetlands are valuable ecosystems and contribute significantly to the social, environmental and ecological well being of British Columbia. Despite the host of values and functions that wetlands provide, they continue to be lost at an alarming rate due to a variety of drivers. In an effort to curb the loss of sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands, the Province of British Columbia has indicated interest in the development of Ecosystem Mitigation and Offsetting Policy. To date, there is no framework to support the development of such a policy. Using case studies and a literature review, this paper assists in providing structure to the policy development and implementation process by breaking down ecosystem mitigation and compensation policies into specific components. It concludes with providing recommendations on specific components of the policy including goal setting, scope and the enabling legislative and regulatory consideration.