Priority Grasslands Initiative

The Priority Grasslands Initiative, which builds on the Geographical Information System (GIS) completed in 2004 through the BC Grasslands Mapping Project, is a collaborative effort to prioritize the grassland land base and identify the highest priority grasslands in each region, which will provide the scientific basis for planning and decision making in these areas and help to achive no further loss of BC's high priority grasslands. The information and data provided by this initiative will assist the GCC to work with all levels of government to minimize the fragmentation and development of BC's endangered grassland habitats.

 The Priority Grasslands Inititiative will use the GIS grassland layer in conjunction with a variety of provincial inventory data and the expertise of regional committees made up of regional agrologists, ecologists, grassland experts, the ranching community and First Nations to identify high value, priority grassland conservation areas in each of the major regions across BC.

This collaborative process is part of the Priority Grasslands Methodology--a strategic document developed by the GCC in conjunction with its Provincial Technical Advisorty Committee to identify the highest priority grasslands in British Columbia based on a number of important values such as species at risk, ranching and forage and First Nations heritage. The end result will be a collection of regional priority grassland strategy documents with stewardship recommendations supported by maps, data and other information.

Based on the land status and tenure of identified areas, the GCC will provide appropriate recommendations for specific stewardship activities on private, Crown and First Nations lands. This analysis and the resulting recommendations will enable the GCC to work proactively and in partnership with stakeholders to ensure that high priority grassland ecosystems are managed for their long-term integrity and health.  The collective regional strategy documents will form the basis for an overall provincial grassland conservation status report.

Throughout the process of identifying priority grassland areas, the GCC will increase awareness about threats to all grasslands, priority areas, and the need for a provincial strategy by extending information and knowledge derived from the process to government agencies, non-government organizations, First Nations, the ranching community and the general public.  The GCC is in a solid position to provide direction on land-use planning, decision making processes and policy initiatives on grasslands.  The effective extension of mapping and associated products to target organizations will ensure that the GCC realizes the full potential of sustaining grasslands in British Columbia.  In addition to reaching planners and decision makers, extension will also focus on the general public, with detailed maps and information avalaible on the GCC website as well as the BC Grasslands Atlas on the Community Mapping Network.and the provincial government's Land and Resource Data Warehouse.

Priority Grassland Methodology Download here	Priority Grasslands Annual Report 2006-2007 Download here

For more information on this initiative, please contact the GCC at gcc@bcgrasslands.org.

Photo:
Kristi Iverson (Churn Creek Grasslands)