Skógræktarritið - 15.05.2001, Blaðsíða 113

SKÓGRÆKT HANDAN SKÓGARMARKA / NSSE
PAUL ]. MITCHELL-BANKS
The Muskwa-Kechika Resource
Management Area
Innovative Integrated Resource
Management in Northeast British
Columbia, Canada
SAMANTEKT
Markmiðin með stofnun Muskwa-Kechika verndarsvæðisins í Norð-
austur-Bresku Kólumbíu í Kanada árið 1997 voru að vernda til fram-
búðar óbyggðareinkenni svæðisins, fjölbreytni dýralífs og búsvæði
þess og um leið leyfa nýtingu auðlinda á hluta svæðisins, s.s. til úti-
vistar, veiða, skógarnytja og jarðefnavinnslu. Verndarsvæðið nær yfir
6,3 milljónir ha, sem erá stærð við írland, í norðanverðum Klettafjöll-
um og á Sléttunum miklu. Aðferðir sem viðhafðar eru við stjórnun
svæðisins eiga að vera fyrirmynd í að ná bæði náttúrufarslegri og efna-
hagslegri sjálfbærni.
Muskwa-Kechika verndarsvæðið er meðal mikilvægustu óbyggða-
svæða í Norður-Ameríku. Þar eru víðáttumiklir skógar, glæsilegar jarð-
myndanir, ár og vötn, fossar og hverir, fjalllendi og votlendi. lnnan
svæðisins eru miklar olíu- og gaslindir og er orkuiðnaðurinn mikilvæg-
ur vinnuveitandi. Verðmætir skógar þekja stóran hluta svæðisins og er
skógariðnaður einnig mikilvægur. í greininni er fjallað um sögu og
stjórnun svæðisins og ýmsa þá erfiðleika sem við erað glíma í því
sambandi.
Introduction
Please note that in November
2000, the Muskwa-Kechika Man-
agement Area was increased in
size by 50% and $1 million addi-
tional funds provided to the trust
fund. This paper reflects those
changes.
The management intent of the
Muskwa-Kechika Management
Area, established in 1997, is to
maintain in perpetuity the
wilderness quality, and the diver-
sity and abundance of wildlife
and the ecosystems on which it
depends, while allowing resource
development and use in parts of
the area designated for those
purposes including recreation,
hunting, timber harvesting, min-
eral exploration and mining, oil
and gas exploration and develop-
ment. The area encompasses
more than 6.3 million hectares of
the Northern Rockies and Great
Plains in northeastern British
Columbia. This area, which is
approximately the size of Ireland,
is comprised of approximately 'A
parks and 3/4 special manage-
ment areas, where resource
development will be undertaken
with environmentally sensitive
management. The management
model is intended to establish a
world standard for environmental
and economic stability.
The Muskwa-Kechika Manage-
ment Area is one of the most
significant wilderness areas in
North America with extensive
forests, spectacular geological
formations, lakes, rivers, water-
falls and hotsprings, subalpine
and alpine areas and major wet-
lands. It is home to a huge vari-
ety of wilderness and wildlife.
The Muskwa-Kechika area
encompasses large oil and gas
reserves, and the energy sector is
a major employer in the area.
The central and western areas of
the Muskwa-Kechika are high in
metallic and non-metallic re-
sources. Portions of the Muskwa-
Kechika Management Area have
high timber values, with over
40% of Fort Nelson's (one of BC's
most northerly communities)
economy based on the forest
sector.
British Columbia’s history of
resource conflicts
British Columbia has had five
forestry-related commissions
over the last century, all of which
were established to address the
public's concerns about whether
forestry was being carried out in
a responsible manner and fears
about a perceived shrinking
forestry landbase (Mitchell-
Banks 1999). Historically, British
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