West Babine Sustainable Resource Management Plan

1.1.2 Plan Goals
The overall goal for the West Babine SRMP is to recognize and maintain the unique and
abundant resource values in the West Babine, including those associated with the Babine River,
consistent with the Kispiox Land and Resource Management Plan.
Additional goals to be achieved by the management objectives are to:
provide long-term sustainability of ecological resources, including grizzly bears;
maintain the wilderness values of the Babine River and Babine River Corridor Park;
seek accommodation of First Nations interests within the West Babine SRMP; and
provide long-term sustainability of economic interests, including resolution of differences
between timber and tourism interests;
MSRM Skeena will assess the plan against these goals during scheduled reviews using
information collected around both implementation and effectiveness monitoring. This evaluation
may be completed as part of a Babine River watershed coordinated monitoring group which is
proposed to be developed with interested partners, potentially including First Nations, the
Kispiox and Bulkley LRMP Monitoring Committees and stakeholders in the Babine (see Section
4.0: Plan Implementation, Monitoring and Amendment, page 63 ).
This plan has been developed with the following intent:
to provide clear direction, using the best available knowledge, data, and analysis, to ensure
the long-term sustainability of natural resources and the environment. This includes ensuring
clean and safe water, land and air, and natural biodiversity;
to provide certainty to resource developers, so that they can reasonable and responsibly
access resources within the guidelines set out in the plan;
to optimize the efficiency of development and use of natural resources while minimizing
conflict among resource users;
to provide flexibility so that the plan can be implemented in the most effective and efficient
manner possible; and
to create accountability by setting measurable standards for the management of resources.
1.1.2.1 Ecosystem-Based Management
Based on early consultation with the Gitxsan First Nation, the Regional Director of the Ministry
of Sustainable Resource Management requested that the West Babine SRMP adopt principles of
ecosystem-based management and have a strategic goal of maintaining ecological integrity
within the West Babine plan area. This direction was taken in recognition that First Nations
interests reflect a holistic view of the ecosystems and the land, and that sustaining the integrity of
the land itself is central to sustaining First Nations culture. In addition, the Kispiox LRMP,
although not explicitly stated, generally uses a framework of ecosystem-based management.
Ecosystem-based management is an adaptive approach to managing human activities that seeks
to ensure the coexistence of healthy, fully functioning ecosystems and human communities
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