Jennifer Psyllakis, Unit Head, Standards and Guidelines, BC Ministry of the Environment

1. Biodiversity Offsets in BC: Provincial
Policy Success and Challenges
 Environmental Mitigation Policy
- Drivers and intent
 General Principles: Offsets
 Trial Application
- Success
- Challenges
 Moving Forward
Jennifer Psyllakis
BC Ministry of Environment

2. Environmental Mitigation Policy: Drivers
Lack of consistent standards leading to variation
in the way environmental impacts are addressed
Greater interest in, and lack of awareness of,
financial & other tools to support environmental
mitigation
Need for greater consistency and
transparency for mitigation planning
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3. Environmental Mitigation Policy: Intent
 Policy and Procedures to ensure consistent approach
to the application of mitigation.
 Fits within existing legislative framework
& supports existing processes.
 Voluntary application
 Decision-support tool
Avoid
Minimize
Restore On-Site
Offset

4. General Principles: Offsets
 Offsets deliver tangible, measurable, on-the-ground
outcomes.
 Outcomes are additional to what otherwise would be
achieved through existing natural resource management
programs or activities.
 Amount of offsetting increases in accordance with the
degree of uncertainty of the effectiveness of the offset
measure(s), the risk to the environmental component or
both.
 Offsetting measures will be designed to obtain the best
result for environmental component in the shortest
timeframe practicable, considering the effort and resources
expended.

5. General Principles: Offsets
 Offsetting funds will include the full costs of
implementation for the duration of the offset.
 Offsetting measures will be designed to obtain the
best result for environmental component in the
shortest timeframe practicable, considering the
effort and resources expended.
 Offsets need to be legally secured for the duration of
the offset commitment.
 All offsetting-related costs are the responsibility of
the proponent whose project or activity results in the
adverse impact.

6. Trial Application: Successes
 Greater transparency
– Decision points (and gaps) clearly articulated
– Mitigation, including offsets, directly linked to
impacts
– Clarified approaches to offsetting
– Improved staff/proponent understanding,
particularly for agreement on financial offsets
– Overall approach to mitigation rationalized

7. Trial Application: Successes
 Consistency
– Mitigation plan template
– Impact assessment workbook
 Accountability
– Specific commitments to outcomes
– Clarified responsibilities for implementing
 Resolved decision barriers – e.g., tool to support
accommodation of FN treaty rights

8. Trial Application: Challenges
 Legal authority to conduct mitigation measures off
permitted areas.
 Financial Agreements.
 Clarifying additionality.
 Lack of strategies and objectives.
 Ensuring mitigation measures stay in place.
 Definition of offset / ensuring links to intended
outcomes

9. Moving Forward
 Focus on challenges
 Continued engagement with stakeholders and First
Nations
 Training and extension
 Strategic approaches
 Governance frameworks
 Partnerships