Guidelines and Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Guidelines and Best Management Practices (BMPs) are approaches based on known science that, if followed, should allow the client to meet the required standard(s) or achieve the desired objective(s).

BMP and Guideline documents exist to help you act as a steward of the environment. The information in these documents will help to ensure that your proposed development activities are planned and carried out in compliance with the various legislation, regulations, and policies that apply to your activity. By understanding the standards activities must meet, you can choose an appropriate set of guidelines and best practices to help carry out your activities to achieve the required standards and objectives.

BMPs and Guideline documents can have a provincial and/or regional context. Provincial documents apply to the entire province but may contain region specific sections. Regional documents have been developed for a specific purpose and may not be applicable to other regions.

NEW! The March 2006 version of Develop with Care replaces the previous versions (June 2004 and April 2005) of Environmental Best Management Practices for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. This document is intended to assist people who are involved in planning, implementing, reviewing and/or approving land developments in British Columbia’s urban and rural areas. Its primary purpose is to provide province-wide guidelines for the maintenance of environmental values during the development of urban and rural lands. It also provides information on ways that environmental protection and stewardship can benefit the community, the property owner and the developer, as well as the natural environment. For more detail and links to document...

Wildlife Guidelines for Backcountry Tourism/Commercial Recreation
These guidelines were developed to ensure that backcountry recreation activities are conducted in a manner that does not compromise the current distribution of wildlife, the sustainability of their populations, or the integrity of their habitats. These guidelines define results, desired behaviours, indicators, and limits for backcountry activities in relation to wildlife and their habitats. These guidelines are intended for use by commercial tourism operators tenured under the Land Act when conducting activities on Crown land, including water-based activities. However, it is anticipated that the guidelines will provide useful guidance for all backcountry recreational users. (These guidelines replace the first version which was published in 2002 as the Interim wildlife guidelines for commercial backcountry recreation in British Columbia.) For more detail and links to documents . . .

Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia
The document “Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia” is a comprehensive information source and guide. It sets out Best Management Practices designed to help maintain the viability of native amphibian and reptile populations in urban and rural areas of British Columbia subject to land development activities. Its primary purpose is to provide developers, consultants, landscape architects, local and regional governments, urban planners, land use managers and the public with the practical, cost-effective tools and supporting scientific information necessary for mitigating development activity impacts on amphibian and reptile populations in the province. Although often highly modified, urban and rural habitats can still provide important habitat for reptile species and amphibians. Measures to help maintain the viability of these native wildlife species are described in this report. For more detail and links to documents . . .

Provincial Guidelines and BMPs

• NEW! Wildlife Guidelines for Backcountry Tourism/Commercial Recreation
• Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia
• Environmental Best Management Practices for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia - DRAFT
• Commercial Recreation Wildlife Guidelines
• Standards and Best Management Practices for Instream Works, March 2004
  (174 pp, PDF 2.8MB)

Region-specific Guidelines and BMPs

Regions: 1.Vancouver Island 2.Lower Mainland 3.Thompson-Okanagan 4.Kootenays 5.Cariboo 6.Skeena 7.Omineca-Peace

Vancouver Island Region

• Vancouver Island Region - Beaver Management Guidelines
• Appendix B:
  Beaver Management Guidelines in British Columbia
• Environmental Objectives, Best Management Practices and Requirements for Land Developments
• Appendices to BMP - Land Development
• Urban Bio-Inventory: Terms Of Reference
• Environmental Objectives and Best Management Practices for Aggregate Extraction
• Sensitive Ecosystems Audit Summary
• Sensitive Ecosystems Audit

Lower Mainland Region

• Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works, March 2004
  This is a 174 page PDF (2.8MB)
• Instream Works Windows (PDF 109KB)
• NEW - RELATED REPORT: Mitigating the Impacts of Channel Maintenance in the Lower Fraser Valley - 2003-2004 Field Trial and Literature Review (PDF 1.7MB)

Thompson & Okanagan Regions

• Wildlife Information for Commercial Backcountry Recreation Opportunities in the North Central Monashee Mountains
• Best Management Practices for Recreational Activities on Grasslands in the Thompson and Okanagan Basins (PDF 286KB)

Kootenay Region

Cariboo Region

• Guidelines for In-Stream Routine Effectiveness Evaluation
• Guidelines for Off-Channel Routine Effectiveness Evaluation
• Terms and Condition for Changes In and About a Stream Specified by MOE Habitat Officers, Cariboo Region
• Timing Windows and Measures to Adequately Manage and Conserve Aquatic Resources in the Cariboo Region

Skeena Region

• Skeena Region - Reduced Risk In-stream Work Windows and Measures (PDF 194KB)