Whereas the spread of invasive species on provincial public lands results is the adverse effect on the economic wellbeing of municipalities and regional districts; And whereas effective management of invasive species requires long-term stable funding before the invasion is irreversible: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to budget for long-term, stable funding for invasive species management.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development The risks and impacts of invasive species are well recognized by the Government of British Columbia. Invasive species do not obey boundaries, so their management requires coordination across all jurisdictions. Over the past three years, the provincial government has committed close to 12M per year in staff and operational funding to address invasive species. Under the BC Economic Recovery Plan announced September 17, 2020, an additional 12M will provide training in invasive species identification, detection and control and up to 350 jobs across British Columbia over 12-17 months. Increasing annual resources dedicated to invasive species management must be considered against all other government fiscal pressures. Working collaboratively with partners has enabled leveraging of additional external funding and facilitated more land managers engaging at the local level to help address new invaders and reduce the impacts caused by existing invasive species populations. The introduction of new invasive species and spread of those already in BC is increasing and the Province is examining potential opportunities under CleanBC and the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy to increase resources dedicated to invasive species prevention and control.