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Environmental
Stewardship Division
Welcome
to the Environmental Stewardship Division (ESD) of the Ministry of Environment.
Click
on each image for a larger view.
Our
mission is to maintain and restore the
natural diversity of provincial ecosystems and fish and wildlife
species and their habitat; and to provide park, fish and wildlife
recreation services and opportunities to British Columbians and
visitors.
Introduction
to the Environmental Stewardship Division (ESD)
The Environmental
Stewardship Division works to develop, promote and measure achievement
of provincial goals for the conservation of living resources, manages
protected areas, and provides park,
fish and wildlife recreation services.
Key
objectives of the Division include the:
- Management
and conservation of the province's biodiversity;
- Protection
of species at risk;
- Protection
and restoration of British Columbia's watersheds;
- Protection
of fish and wildlife species and their habitat;
- Stewardship
of parks and protected lands; and
- Provision
of park, fish and wildlife recreation.
Details
on the delivery of these key objectives can be reviewed in the Ministry's
Service Plan.
 The
Division will meet these objectives by using science-based information
and knowledge in the development of policy, legislation and regulations,
setting clear environmental standards and performance expectations,
and ensuring compliance through monitoring, auditing and public
reporting. The Division will expand its work with partners to
meet
division and ministry goals, and will emphasize shared stewardship
by encouraging others to accept a greater role in environmental
stewardship and facilitating community initiatives to protect
and restore local environments. These environmental stewardship
actions will be coordinated with related ones in the ministry's
other two divisions - Strategic
Policy Division and Environmental
Protection - and with other ministries and jurisdictions.
ESD's
headquarters is located in Victoria with the majority of staff located
in nine regional offices. The division is comprised of four branches:
 The
Ecosystems Branch
is responsible for biodiversity science, standards and policy for
the Ministry, and is responsible for the preparation of a biodiversity
strategy for British Columbia. Important aspects of this work include
the development of more specific strategies on living rivers and
species at risk. The Branch develops legislation, regulations, standards
and guidelines to protect natural diversity. It also manages the
acquisition and application of science-based information and knowledge
for aquatic and terrestrial habitats and species. The Branch establishes
protocols and performance measures for monitoring and reporting
on the state of provincial biodiversity and the effectiveness of
activities being used to sustain it.
 The
Parks and Protected Areas Branch sets provincial direction,
priorities and policies for the province's protected areas system.
The Branch develops legislation, regulations and protected area
management plans, leads conservation programs within all protected
areas, and manages the delivery of recreational services and opportunities
within protected lands.
 The
Fish and Wildlife
Branch establishes legislation, policies and procedures
for managing fishing and hunting activities, and for the allocation
of fish and wildlife resources for recreational and commercial use.
The Branch manages the provincial fish culture and stocking programs
to support recreational fishing and endangered species recovery.
 The
Division's Regional Operations Branch
includes nine regional offices. Regional staff is responsible for
the on-the-ground delivery of the division's programs across the
province, supported by Victoria headquarters. Regional staff of
the ministry's three divisions are co-located in regional offices
to encourage teamwork. There are also small area offices in locations
across the province to provide enforcement and park operations capacity
in local communities.
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