A sustainable resource development plan framework for the Neskonlith Indian Band, British Columbia

Graduation date: 1993A sustainable resource development plan framework was prepared for the\ud Neskonlith Indian Band, who are located in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.\ud The framework intends to address issues involving; integrated resource management,\ud traditional native land management, ecosystem management, and community-based\ud resource management.\ud A soft systems (Wilson & Morren, 1990) methodology was used to work with\ud the community and help assess the current management state and to begin the process\ud of determining the desired future condition of their land base and how this can help\ud build the community. However, the band was prepared only to work through the first\ud two (out of seven) stages of the methodology. The study area used was 4259 ha in\ud size, of which 1316 ha was reserve land. A good portion of this area is forested\ud (52.4%), primarily with interior Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var, glauca).\ud The study area is also represented by 13.9% open range, 8,2% cultivated land and a\ud large lake (11 %) . Current and past resource management activities on this area\ud include; forestry, mining, agriculture, range, recreation, and parks. The band is\ud interested in how the land base can be managed from an integrated resource\ud management perspective and in learning how non-consumptive uses of the forest can\ud be further explored. This framework attempts to answer the questions and provide\ud the band with a working Geographic Information System database and some\ud management alternatives to examine.\ud A Terrasoft GIS was used, which allowed for both vector and raster\ud processing. Data layers were compiled and assembled for a variety of resource\ud values. These data layers were analyzed using models which produced three\ud management alternatives. These alternatives included the following emphases:\ud economic; ecological; and balanced. The economic alternative focused solely on\ud resource extraction. The ecological alternative focuses on protection of the\ud environment as the main emphasis, and large parcels of land are excluded from any\ud resource development activities. The balanced alternative offered a balance between\ud the first two alternatives, allowing for a reasonable level of resource management\ud activities, while protecting important ecological components across the landscape.\ud The trade-offs expected to be encountered with each management scenario were\ud discussed with the community and the balanced alternative was resolved as the\ud preferred choice.\ud This framework is expected to be used by the band to help construct a\ud comprehensive integrated resource management plan. Recommendations are provided\ud with the third management alternative to assist the band with integrated resource\ud management planning. It was concluded that although the band has much information\ud available on resource management, they still have a great deal of work left ahead of\ud them to become fully involved in a functional, integrated resource management\ud program