Denman Conservancy Association
P.O. Box 60 Denman Island BC CANADA V0R 1T0
Declaration on the Principles of Parks
At the turn of the previous century, amidst the rapid settlement of land, shooting of wildlife and cutting down of forests by settlers, there emerged a vision of preserving large areas of wildlands in their natural condition, with little or no modification by humans. Originally born out of the human response to scenic grandeur and wildlife, these areas are now the last refuges for many native species.Today, scientists warn that major damage to ecosystems endangers life on this planet, including human life. Science recognizes that fully protected areas play a critical role in the survival of species. Ecologists urge that parks be kept as natural as possible, with natural ecological processes, because they are living textbooks on the science of ecosystem health.
Today, the dissonance and alienation of a troubled world, dominated by the pursuit of economic gain, encroach upon the peace and sanity of individuals and societies. Parks have become sanctuaries where the human spirit can refresh itself amidst the space, beauty, and solitude of a fully natural world. There, uninjured by industrial inroads, or the intrusions of entrepreneurial- or entertainment-based uses, nature - left undivided - teaches wholeness by the experience, itself.
These facts are the basis for the profound determination of the public - born of a sense of urgency, and asserted many times over the years - to create ample protected areas and to hold them sacred for the survival of species and for future generations of humanity.
There have always been those who claim that the purpose of parks is private economic gain. But these views misrepresent the higher human imperatives that have fought for parks, paid for them, and defended them for nearly 100 years.
Society spends many years, at great cost, weighing the economic values versus the preservation values of every park proposal. Each park represents a decision that preservation best serves the public interest. The value of living things, of their ecological life support system, of the human experience of nature and wilderness, must never again be weighed against the dollar in these sanctuaries.
We, the undersigned, wish all to know that the following tenets are the true principles that should guide park management:
1.
Parks have a dual mandate: The preservation of land in its
natural condition, and outdoor recreation based upon the appreciation
and enjoyment of nature.
2. The goals of the dual mandate
are to foster all the holistic values of completely natural areas,
including: environmental health, survival of species, protection for
animal and plant life, physical and spiritual health of people,
tourism, cultural values and scientific knowledge.
3.
Preservation is the highest form of protection for land and
resources. The removal, damage or pollution of natural features
are totally prohibited. This means no logging, mining, drilling,
hydro development, or human settlement.
4. The only human
modifications allowed are for the essential needs of public
recreation and resource protection.
Preservation is the source of a unique and valuable kind of
recreation based upon natural attractions, with minimal commercial
intrusion. Guiding businesses that provide this kind of recreation
are compatible. Commercial development should be located outside of
parks, where it will concentrate tourism expenditures in local
communities. It is well known that this kind of recreation richly
profits businesses across the land.
5.
Parks are a shared, public
good to be held in trust by governments, and not to be sold or
privatized.
This requires an institutional legacy of experienced public servants.
This legacy must remain stable as governments come and go.
6.
Ecosystem health and the survival of species are the top management
priorities. Fully protected areas fill a universal need for
health and survival that is shared by all species, cultures and
generations.
7. Parks should be fully supported by taxes.
The government has a duty to maintain sufficient staff and funding to
manage every aspect of the park system.
8. Parks should be
administered in an unbiased manner, free of conflict of interest.
Private interest control through leases of park land or privatization
must be avoided.
9. The public has a right to know how its
parks are being managed, and to participate in open, transparent
planning procedures.
10. Wilderness - large,
undeveloped, roadless areas - should be maintained as wilderness in
all our parks. Such areas best represent the ecological, health,
and scientific values of parks, while including many intangible
values of importance to people - values such as remoteness, pristine
qualities, solitude, and natural quiet.
11. Parks are for
perpetuity. They contain priceless biological, cultural and
historical legacies. Unmaking parks or changing park laws to weaken
protection violates a sacred trust belonging to all those in the past
and present who fought and paid for our parks, as well as future
generations. Parks laws should be changed to better honour these
principles, never to undermine them.
Alberni
Environmental Coalition
Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society
Applied
Conservation GIS
Applied Ecological Stewardship Council of
B.C.
B.C. Pathways
Bert Riggall Environmental Foundation (AB)
Bragg Creek
Environmental Coalition (AB)
Canadian EarthCare Society
Canadian Reforestation
and Environmental Workers Society
Castle-Crown Wilderness
Coalition (AB)
Chetwynd Environmental Society
Coalition to Save
Forest Recreation in B.C.
Comox Valley Land Trust
Comox Valley
Naturalists
Cortes Land Conservancy
Denman Conservancy Association
Environmental Investigation
Agency (U.S.A./U.K.)
Federation of Mountain Clubs
Fins in the
Forest
ForestEthics
Fraser Headwaters Alliance
Friends of
Caren
Friends of Clayoquot Sound
Friends of Cortes Island Society
Friends of Gabriola
Friends
of Strathcona
Friends of the Nemaiah Valley
Friends of the
Stikine
Friends of the Tlell
Georgia Strait Alliance
Get
Bear Smart Society
Golden Outdoor Recreation Association
Granby
Wilderness Society
Grand Forks Watershed Coalition
Greenpeace
Kettle Range
Conservation Group (U.S.A.)
Labour Environmental Council
North
Cascades Conservation Council (U.S.A.
North Okanagan Naturalists Club (Vernon)
Northern Ecology
Watch
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
Okanagan
Similkameen Parks Society
ParkWatch (U.S.A.)
ProTerra
Purcell
Alliance for Wilderness
Quadra Island Conservancy and Stewardship Council
Quesnel
River Watershed Alliance
Raincoast Conservation Society
Salt
Spring Island Conservancy
Save Our Parklands Association
Selkirk
Conservation Alliance (U.S.A.)
Shuswap Environmental Action
Society
Sierra Club of British Columbia
Society Promoting
Environmental Conservation
South Okanagan Naturalist
Club
Southside Economic Development Association
Sustainable
Environment Network Society
Tetrahedron Alliance
Tuwanek
Ratepayers Association
Travel Just
Valhalla Wilderness
Society
West Kootenay Coalition for Jumbo Wild
Western Canada
Wilderness Committee
Wild
Wilderness (Oregon, U.S.A)
Anne Sherrod