Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation between Canada, British Columbia, and the First Nations Leadership Council

Signed by all parties on November 3, 2023, the Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation (the Framework Agreement) between Canada, British Columbia (B.C.), and the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) will strengthen nature conservation province-wide.

It sets goals and objectives in four key areas:

• habitat and ecosystem conservation and protection
• habitat enhancement and restoration
• species at risk protection and recovery
• foundational knowledge and information sharing

Objectives include:

1. protect and conserve at least 30 per cent of lands and freshwater in B.C. by 2030
2. work with First Nations to identify up to 13,000 square kilometres of low-elevation, productive old-growth forest areas to permanently protect in three targeted biogeoclimatic zones: Coastal Douglas Fir, Coastal Western Hemlock, and Interior Cedar Hemlock
3. create an actively managed, B.C.-wide network of connected land through measures such as the Parks Canada National Program for Ecological Corridors
4. work with B.C. and First Nations to recover the population of Spotted Owls
5. continue work in partnership with First Nations to implement boreal caribou conservation measures aligned with the federal recovery strategy target of 65 per cent undisturbed habitat, including restoration for all boreal caribou herds in B.C.

Under the agreement, Canada will contribute up to $500 million toward the implementation of the agreement. B.C. has committed to matching every dollar the federal government contributes. Canada, B.C., and the First Nations Leadership Council will work together to implement the Framework Agreement in a manner that respects the rights and role of Indigenous Peoples as caretakers of the lands and waters since time immemorial. All parties are committed to a distinctions-based approach to meeting the priorities and commitments outlined in the Framework Agreement and to ensuring alignment with the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples.

The parties have committed to work with First Nations in the province to develop agreements, understandings, or other constructive arrangements necessary to implement the Framework Agreement through a Tripartite Nature Committee. Canada, B.C., and the First Nations Leadership Council will publish joint annual reports to communicate progress toward the conservation outcomes of the Framework Agreement.

Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation between Canada, B.C., and the FNLC (Full agreement)