British Columbia's Ecological Footprint

Built Space

"Green" legislation was released in 2008 in order to help municipal governments to create more green and energy efficient communities

Cropland

Agricultural Land Reserve 101 was created by the province in 1973

Fisheries

All companies and individuals must obtain a licence before being able to harvest any aquatic plant life

Forests

BC has a very diverse forest, and two thirds of the land is forest

Pasture

Many pastures get nutritionally depleted over time, and this happened with the Bulkley Valley in BC

Subtopic

Energy

A large proportion of BC's energy comes from Hydraulic Fracturing

only 5% of the land is suitable for food production, and the ALR was put into place to protect the thousands of hectares that were being lost due to industrial and commercial reasons

Over 50% of BC's food requirements are from the 5% of the arable land

home to Canada's largest and most diverse ecological and biological forests

First Nations use the trees and plants as natural medicine, healing ceremonies, and live off the animals and fruits they can find in the forest

This allows many First Nations to live as their ancestors did, and to follow traditions that have been a part of their cultural for centuries

this legslation will help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions 33% below current levels by 2020

ensures the governments will have the tools and money to help improve their city

The process involves the pumping of a liquid/gas down a well at a high enough pressure to cause the surrounding rock to fracture

The use of water is a major concern with this source of energy, because the process consumes loads of water, and can cause surrounding water to become undrinkable and unsafe

Number of hectares of agricultural land being lost in BC annually before 1973: 6000

Average number of hectares of agricultural land excluded from the ALR each year since 1973: 616

All plant harvesting in BC must be hand picked in order to protect the area and fish breeding grounds

Aquatic plant harvesting is still very restricted and regulated, the license include method of harvesting, area of harvest, duration of harvesting, ect

chemical fertilization and livestock manure were introduced to the pastures, and over time the valley become more productive