Public Support for Land Acquisition: A Key Instrument for Successful Land Conservation, Governance and Management

Abstract

While it is recognized that protected areas are important for biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing, governments struggle to establish and/or enlarge protected areas. Land acquisition and the challenges encountered by governing institutions in funding protected area systems expansion is discussed in this paper using the Capital Regional District (CRD) Land Acquisition Fund as a case study. We briefly discuss land acquisition in British Columbia and in the CRD, and offer an overview of the CRD Land Acquisition Fund and the public participation process that led to its establishment. We emphasize the importance of developing political and citizen support, and a shared vision about expanding protected areas systems - a key element for nearly doubling the parkland base of CRD Regional Parks in less than 20 years. We conclude by offering the lessons learned through the case study and provide guidance for policy and governance directions with regard to land acquisition.