Wetland policy
The issue of wetland conservation and policy has long been an issue of controversy among interest groups and industry. When observing the number of endangered or threatened species that inhabit wetlands it is apparent that there is a pressing need to conserve them, especially when the leading cause of species loss is habitat destruction (Nowlan and Jeffries, 1996). There is currently in place a system of policies and laws which culminate to create a relatively effective means of enforcement, however, through the lack of a single Act which pertains to wetlands there continues to be inadequacies within the system. Though the federal government has released the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation it is not admissible in court and therefore only stands as recommendations by which the government would like the public to abide. The vastly different types of wetlands located through out B.C. create many difficulties in the creation of a single policy, however, if there was a broad based Act which was committed to the current federal policy of "no net loss of wetlands" it would eliminate the need for overlapping laws at the three levels of government. What Designates an Area as a Wetland
Through the provincial Municipal Act, municipalities are given the authority to deal with wetland loss on an individual case basis by the creation of appropriate bylaws and zoning regulations. Section 945 of the Act allows local government to make a community plan which designates areas for wetland conservation. This has grand implications for the conservation of local wetlands, under this section the municipality has the power to create buffer zones around fragile wetlands, as well they may create bylaws which pertain to tree cutting, flood prevention, drainage and soil removal, among others. Section 963 allows for the creation of zoning to regulate land usage, this may be used to shift population densities away from sensitive areas. Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation, (1991)
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4005
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)
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