Socio-Economic Baseline of the Howe Sound Area (2013)

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Partners: Lions Gate Consulting

Biodiversity British Columbia, eco-assets, protecting coastal waters, economics, community and culture, conservation, industry, land use, policy and regulation, water systems, natural capital, Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound

Prepared by Lions Gate Consulting for Stephen Foster and the David Suzuki Foundation, this socio-economic baseline report is prepared in support of a proposed Howe Sound Protected Area. Its purpose is to provide information about community and economic conditions within the project footprint and in adjacent communities. The results would be used to inform and guide discussions with local and senior government, communities and industry about the costs and benefits of designation.

The content of the baseline was scoped to include those values most likely to be affected by protected area status. At this point in time, a legal pathway to protected status that would establish the land and marine use regime has not been identified. It is assumed that, as a protected area, conservation objectives would curb or perhaps prohibit some forms of industrial or public activity and enhance others, but what exactly those changes would be are unknown.

The baseline is structured according to the authors’ understanding of socio-economic issues and values most likely to be affected by the establishment and operation of a protected area. The focus is on general community conditions and activities linked to the land and marine base. Key parameters are as follows:

• Demographics
• Labour force
• Economic activity
• General land use
• Tourism and recreation
• Commercial fishing
• Marine transportation
• Forestry
• Utilities and Energy
• Aggregates

As the protected area concept is advanced, an update or expansion of the baseline may be needed to inform public engagement and decision making.