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Creating Working Alliances in Vancouver, Canada
STRATEGYStrengthen inter-governmental and intra-governmental cooperation
CHALLENGE
To coordinate overlapping governmental jurisdictions in the Fraser River estuary to ensure economic development in harmony with increased recreational opportunities and environmental improvements.
ACTION
Establish a mechanism for cooperation among federal, provincial and local governments, First Nations, and port authorities to coordinate planning and decision making on human activities in the estuary.
PROFILE
Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP), Vancouver, Canada
Land Area: FREMP applies to a 155 km2 area of the lower Fraser River.
This area is surrounded by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GRVD).
GVRD Population: 2 million
FREMP Budget: US$560,000
CASE
The Fraser River is one of the great rivers of the world, draining nearly 250,000 square kilometers into the Strait of Georgia (Pacific Ocean). The estuary, a coastal body of tidal water where fresh water is mixed with sea water, is a significant natural area with some of the most productive biological systems in the world.
Nowhere in the Canadian Province of British Columbia are the environmental pressures and competing demands for space and resources greater than in the fertile and heavily populated area around the estuary. Over the next 20 years, the growing population in the Vancouver area will reach three million people. These people will be looking to the Fraser River estuary to satisfy demands for housing, commercial and industrial developments, expansion of ports, and recreation. At the same time, the region's residents want to protect fish and wildlife habitat and improve the environmental quality of the estuary.
Many agencies' jurisdictions overlap in the estuary. Twelve local governments and three First Nations (indigenous peoples) have responsibility for community and land-use planning. The regional government is responsible for sewage and drainage facilities and growth management. Two port authorities are in charge of water and land use, transportation, and port planning. The provincial and federal governments regulate water-based activities, environmental protection, and the protection of fish and fish habitat. The resulting legislative, regulatory and policy regime produces overlapping jurisdictions and competing responsibilities
In the late 1970s, in recognition of the need to coordinate this governance system and in response to local government and community concerns about environmental degradation and habitat loss in the lower Fraser River, the federal and provincial governments initiated the Fraser River Estuary Study. As a result, in 1985 the Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP) was established.
FREMP illustrates a working alliance among six governmental partners, including three federal and provincial agencies, two port authorities and the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), a federation of 22 municipalities. As part of the FREMP Management Committee, the GVRD gives the municipalities an equal but indirect voice in the management of the partnership. Each of the six partners contributes equally to the operating budget. Partners retain their authority as agencies and coordinate policy through a linked-management structure. Organizations and agencies pursue their individual interests and meet the needs of the broader region at the same time.
A Water and Land Use Committee provides advice on the implementation of the Estuary Management Plan. It comprises those agencies, port authorities, municipalities, First Nations and the regional district with a prominent role in estuary decision making.
FREMP has coordinated activities to improve resource management, including a habitat colour-coding system that classifies habitat value along the foreshore to indicate an area's sensitivity to development and a process to coordinate the environmental review of all development proposals in the FREMP boundaries (about 100 per year).
The key achievement of FREMP was the 1994 approval of a comprehensive Estuary Management Plan, also known as A Living, Working River. Formally endorsed by all of the municipalities in the FREMP area of interest, the plan established a vision to "improve environmental quality in the Fraser River estuary while providing economic development opportunities and sustaining the quality of life in and around the estuary."
The action component of the plan comprises two broad themes: environmental protection and human activities. The supporting action framework for environmental protection addresses water quality management and fish and wildlife habitat. The four elements in the action framework under human activities are navigation and dredging, log management, industrial and urban development, and recreation.
RESULTS
FREMP has proven to be an effective and efficient working alliance among various government jurisdictions to manage a precious resource that lies within various jurisdictions in a growing urban area. Through greater coordination of activities within the estuary, partners have reduced time and resources required by individual jurisdictions to plan and manage the foreshore and adjacent upland areas. Amid changes in partner institutions and their legislative frameworks, FREMP continues to provide a stable and continuing focus for delivering a program of action for the Fraser River estuary and contribute to a sustainable world.
In 2001, FREMP delivered its first monitoring report. The indicators used in the report show progress in fulfilling the Estuary Management Plan:
- Conservation of the Estuary-contaminants in Great Blue Herron eggs have decreased, fecal coliform counts in the main arm of the estuary have been reduced, and there has been a net gain in productive fish and wildlife habitat.
- Social and Economic Development-FREMP ports' share of regional marine cargo increased, the number of visits to regional parks along the estuary doubled, the length of recreational corridors along the estuary increased, and the number of protected cultural sites has increased.
- Protect and Enhance Environmental Quality-most log booms in the estuary are now stored to protect sensitive fish habitat and river dredging now conforms to removal limits set to balance navigational needs with environmental sustainability.
LESSONS LEARNED
The most important value that the FREMP partnership offers to all who participate is the opportunity to act upon common goals and objectives regarding a shared resource.
This collaborative process has taken time and patience and has yielded excellent results. The success of the program has depended on the quality of engagement of participants and effective balancing of the varying levels of power of partnering agencies. FREMP has learned the importance of using dispute resolution and consensus building to transcend the hierarchy between agencies.
While the individual municipalities are indirectly represented on the program's executive via the GVRD, they are encouraged to participate directly in the development and implementation of the Estuary Management Plan. For this type of partnership to work, local governments to commit to the process-from a regional perspective, success is compromised if municipalities choose not to participate, or participate on an infrequent basis.
The final challenge that has faced FREMP over the years is in the area of public participation and transparency. FREMP recently shifted its resources away from an earlier focus on an education, such as a schools program and volunteer clean-up events, so as not to duplicate work done by other organizations. Though it has been criticized by public interest groups for not being included in decision making, the FREMP partnership is committed to fostering dialogue with these groups and the general public.
KEY REPLICATION FACTORS
FREMP's linked-management model is particularly appropriate for management of coastal areas or other significant waterways where there is shared jurisdiction.
To replicate the FREMP model, champions for partnership are essential. The willingness to participate in such a working alliance should be reflected in partners' commitment to contributing financial and human resources. (In this case the six funding partners each get a CDN$0.5 million program for less than $100,000 each.) A written agreement, such as a memorandum of understanding is important to codify common principles and operating protocols. A commitment to consensus building is a requirement.
CONTACTS
Ken Cameron, Manager, Policy and Planning
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Fax: +1-604/436-6970
Email: KCameron@gvrd.bc.ca
Joe Stott, Program Manager
Fraser River Estuary Management Program
Fax: +1-604/775-5198
Email: jstott@bieapfremp.org
Website: www.bieapfremp.org
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