The Path to Protecting 30% of Mayne by 2033
In March 2023, the Mayne Island Conservancy adopted a 10-year vision that extends from now until its 30th anniversary in 2033. The vision statement is as follows:
The Conservancy will play a leadership role in protecting 30% of Mayne Island through land acquisitions, landholder agreements, partnerships, and mitigating the fallow deer problem.
I’m sure many readers are scratching their heads wondering how on earth this vision will be achieved and what it means for the Conservancy’s work. If you read on, you will find answers to these questions. Hopefully, you’ll be as inspired as we are in reaching this goal to protect the Mayne Island environment for now and for future generations.
Achievements to Date
The Conservancy, in partnership with other organizations, has been successful over the past 20 years in protecting and restoring just over 10% of Mayne Island. We were founded by a group of citizens determined to protect Mount Parke, which eventually did happen. Since then land protection has included the acquisition of St. John Point in 2017, and most recently the Edith Point conservation area in 2022. In addition, we have put in place a few Stewardship Agreements on private land.
While these past achievements are important, they are not enough to counter the pressures facing the environment on Mayne. We know that natural areas that are protected from development are critical to ensure the resilience of native species, protect groundwater recharge capacity, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The more land that we can protect, the better chance we have to respond to these pressures.
30% or More
Our vision fits with the United Nations and Government of Canada goal to protect 30% of Canadian land and water by 2030 (we’ve added three more years because we started later). While this is the goal, it is a minimum, and we would of course welcome an even higher amount of protected land. We also want the remaining land to be well cared for, since the entire island is part of the unique and fragile Southern Gulf Islands Coastal Douglas Fir (CDF) bio-geoclimatic zone.
With only 10.33% of Mayne Island protected through covenant or government/land trust stewardship, we have about 20% to go to reach our goal. For reference on how much land this would be, Mayne Island is 2370 hectares in size, so we need to protect just under 500 more hectares by 2033. The area in these calculations includes Georgeson and Curlew Islands but does not include the Tsartlip reserve.
The Path to Achieving our Vision
How we achieve our goal depends on you. With the vast majority of Mayne Island’s remaining natural habitats controlled by private landholders, the fate of natural ecosystems and all the plants and animals that rely on them is in the hands of private land stewards. The Conservancy’s approach will be to encourage property owners to protect land through land donations (including bequests), covenants on their property, stewardship agreements, and through land acquisitions. Land donations are encouraged by the federal government’s ecological gift program.
Covenants don’t have to apply to an entire property, so they can be put in place on just a portion, allowing continued residential use of the property. The Mayne Conservancy can provide information about the different options available to land stewards who are looking for permanent protection solutions for the natural habitats they have been caring for. We can also help cover the costs associated with creating a covenant, such as for land surveying and creation of an ecological baseline report. Whether or not we can cover these costs is determined on a case-by-case basis by our board of directors, based on the ecological values being protected.
We will also engage with Indigenous peoples and their organizations who have an interest in or are impacted by our work. Conversations will include opportunities to work together, share outcomes, and determine how our plan can be informed by indigenous knowledge.
To assist us in achieving our goal we are building up our CAMAS Fund which will be used for future land acquisition and management. Please consider making a donation earmarked for Lands Protected in Perpetuity at this link.
While working towards our vision for 2033, the Conservancy continues with our current day-to-day activities such as restoration work, our native plant nursery, public and youth education, bull kelp and eelgrass surveys and associated marine research, advocacy on deer over-population, and public events.
If you would like to know more about land stewardship please send us an email at info@mayneconservancy.ca
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