Programs and Authorities of the Province of 

 British Columbia Related to Marine Bird Conservation 



by 



W. T. Munro 



British Columbia Fish and Wildlife Branch 



300-1019 Wharf Street 

 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Z1 



and 

 R. Wayne Campbell 



British Columbia Provincial Museum 

 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 



Abstract 



British Columbia Provincial agencies are given authority for protecting marine 

 birds and their habitats by the Provincial Wildlife Act, the Parks Act, and the 

 Ecological Reserves Act. The Provincial Museum Act accommodates research on 

 marine birds. The Fish and Wildlife branch has protected over 30,000 ha of inter- 

 tidal estuarine habitat in the form of reserves and has conducted limited inven- 

 tories of birds on the Queen Charlotte Islands and northern mainland coast. The 

 Provincial Museum has conducted inventories and life-history studies of marine 

 birds and maintains a repository for information on seabirds, including a catalog 

 of colonies. Pollution from oil and chemicals, improper logging practices, and dis- 

 turbance by boating recreationists are the most apparent threats to the well- 

 being of birds. Additional inventories and the determination of seasonal distribu- 

 tion are among the information needed to better protect the marine birds of 

 British Columbia. 



Most marine-associated birds in Canada are 

 covered by the Migratory Birds Convention 

 Act and are therefore federally protected. In 

 British Columbia additional protection is pro- 

 vided by the Provincial Wildlife Act. Several 

 other provincial acts provide authorities re- 

 lated to seabirds. The Provincial Museum Act 

 permits research related to natural history; 

 the Parks Act and Ecological Reserves Act 

 provide for the protection of habitat and pro- 

 hibit harassment of wildlife within park and 

 reserve boundaries; and the Firearms Act per- 

 mits the closure of areas frequented by se- 

 lected wildlife to the discharge of firearms. 

 The fact that several authorities for the pro- 

 tection and conservation of marine birds are 

 available does not mean that they have been 

 used to full advantage. 



British Columbia's irregular shores provide 

 thousands of kilometers of coastline, much of 

 which is used by marine birds for nesting and 

 wintering as well as during migration. 

 Through legislation of different types, some of 

 the more ecologically important and unique 

 sites have been protected. Twelve "ecological 

 reserves," which are basically inviolate pre- 

 serve areas, provide habitat for and protec- 

 tion to a number of major breeding colonies. 

 Over 30,000 ha of intertidal estuarine habitat 

 has been protected by the provincial Fish and 

 Wildlife Branch in the form of reserves. Less 

 than half of the total area is in Order-in-Coun- 

 cil reserves (passed by the Provincial Cabi- 

 net), which afford strong protection; the rest 

 is in departmental map reserves, which 

 merely means other agencies must inform the 



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