The Martlet

There is nowhere like home. This is especially true if home is the Capital Regional District (CRD). The Cascadian North Pacific exhibits healthy natural landscapes long disappeared from most of the rest of the world.

To most of us living within this bioregion, these landscapes are commonplace. However, the last standing tracks of old growth forest, marine and coastal ecosystems and mountain ranges that roll through the hills and beaches of southern Vancouver Island have not been overlooked by UVic’s Environmental Law Centre (ELC), the Dogwood Initiative and the Sea-to-Sea Greenbelt Society. Together, these groups are preparing a bid to submit to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to have the CRD designated as a UN biosphere reserve, defined by the UN as a site “established by countries and recognized under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science.”

The prospect of the biosphere designation was celebrated and discussed on Nov. 23 at UVic. The community event included a short educational video produced by the ELC about biosphere reserves, a sustainability fair, and speakers from First Nations, the business community, NGOs and government.

“At this stage we’re putting the idea out there. This could potentially be a really good tool to add to the resources we have available to us for a more sustainable future,” said Jenni Campbell, a UVic law student in the ELC who has been organizing for the public event all semester. “Our role tonight was to act as a facilitator to get this idea out . . . We’re trying to get the information out there, and then just let the conversation flow . . . A big part of it is bringing young people in to the conversation . . . we’ve got Reynolds school kids here, and Pearson College is involved. Definitely First Nations are hugely important. If First Nations aren’t on board, we aren’t even going there.”

The ELC’s objectives include inspiring and educating students through hands-on advocacy experience exposure to the challenges of public interest environmental law. They have been engaging with local communities, environmental groups, and indigenous populations, providing timely legal information and pro bono legal representation. They advocate for reforms to environmental laws through thoughtful, scientifically sound and pragmatic legislative proposals. They are also looking to strengthen access to justice producing legal research, and participate in administrative and court proceedings.

“Honestly it has been the best thing I’ve ever been involved in, in any educational context,” said Ethan Krindle, vice-president of the ELC.

“The diversity of files you get to do in this clinic really broadens your education, and gives you a practical context for your classes . . . You have all kinds people coming and working together. We learn the things you need to know if you want to be affective in talking about environmental issues.”