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Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and It is distinguished by its many picturesque sheltered coves and anchorages, and is frequented by yachts and pleasure craft. The scenery consists of waterfalls, rugged glaciated peaks, and their steep forested slopes that fall into the ocean.

Its many inlets, islets, coves, and bays attract many pleasure craft each summer, when it is not uncommon for a hundred boats to share a small anchorage. The sound is home to a wide variety of wildlife and still relatively free from development, although some areas, such as Theodesia Inlet, show signs of clear-cut logging.

The area has a long history of use by First Nations and supports tremendous ecological diversity. From the time when Captain George Vancouver first visited the area to modern time Indigenous people have been pressured off their land and have lost access to most of their hunting and gathering spots due to environmental protection, tourists and pollution. Health authorities that are operated by First Nations groups are currently investigating the effects of environmental pollution in the area.

Land use in the marine area is now strictly controlled by the BC provincial government and any operations in this marine area that do not conform to the laws are eradicated.

Location and size

The park is located approximately 32 km north of Powell River and 150 km north of Vancouver. This provincial marine park, which is about 84 km² in size is only accessible by boat.

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park created by the Government of British Columbia in 1973, under the advocacy of MLA Don Lockstead and the New Democratic Party government, out of an area comprising 8,449 hectares (32.6 sq mi) and over 60 km (37 mi) of shoreline. The park is located at the confluence of Malaspina Inlet and Homfray Channel.

Park history

Captain Vancouver’s visit

Desolation Sound was first named this way by Captain George Vancouver. When he first sailed there, he encountered what he described as mostly abandoned Native settlements, gloomy weather and barren land. It was, however, only temporarily empty due to a few factors. The first is that his visit likely came after a smallpox outbreak; second, it was the time of the year when most people would be inland hunting and gathering. Third, First Nations people were likely avoiding the Lekwiltok raiders. Another significant factor was that Vancouver’s view was influenced by “European cultural aesthetics,” as he didn’t recognize most indigenous-altered landscapes as occupied by people. While Vancouver saw Desolation Sound as an unattractive and empty land, people later came to value it as full of untouched nature.

History of the park's creation

The history of Desolation Sound Marine Park is intimately connected with the erasure of First Peoples’ presence from their ancestral lands. What non-Indigenous people see as conservation efforts comes in direct conflict with the lives of the Sliammon First Nations (Tla'amin Nation), who used to live, hunt, gather and practice their culture on these lands. Many also see Indigenous People's presence as ruining nature's pristine emptiness. The Sliammon First Nations, however, provide an opposing narrative of unequal power relations and a homeland turned into a landscape for non-Native visitors, taken over and destroyed by outsiders. Starting from 1875, they were, over time, pushed out of their communities into small reserves, and in 1920, legislation was enacted allowing the government to unilaterally reduce allocated reserve land.

Land Uses and Historical Management

The Province of British Columbia previously bought and then terminated a number of mariculture tenures in the marine area of Desolation Sound Marine Park. Mariculture operations are allowed to operate under a single park use permit, which was issued before to the park's creation. The province's long-term objective is to eradicate any residual non-conforming mariculture operations from the park.

Within the park's borders, there are multiple in holdings. Three of these, Portage Cove, Unwin Lake, and the UBC site at Laura Cove, are potential future additions to Desolation Sound Marine Park.

Desolation Sound Marine Park's land and marine areas encircle two subdivisions and a Sliammon First Nation Indian Reserve. The maritime Park's maritime foreshore region may contain dock facilities that are necessary for access to these three sites as well as Portage Cove.

First Nations

The Sliammon First Nations of Desolation Sound

As First Nations were pressured off their land, Desolation Sound once again became a wild and uninhabited paradise in the eyes of yachters and other people looking for a retreat from industrial modernity. And while the Sliammon tried to continue hunting, gathering and participating in cultural activities, parts of the area were leased to non-Indigenous residents with tourists and summer residents, increasing clashes of interest between them. Summer homes were built in prime gathering and hunting locations, archeological sites, including graves, were robbed for souvenirs and environmental protection infringed on their ability to use what was left of the unoccupied land. While the area was under environmental protection, only some aspects of the park environment were protected. It is only more recently that people began to value the 10000-year history of the area's Native occupants, who have built their lives around what Captain Vancouver called Desolation Sound. Increased tourism, however, harms the First Nations and the environment. Untreated sewage and accidental fuel leaks from homes and boats have led to toxic pollution, dangerous for marine life and those relying on seafood for sustenance. As a result, the Sliammon are afraid to eat the little traditional food available to gather after the government leased their best gathering spots to oyster farmers. Overall, the Sliammon First Nations, like many others, have been harmed by the seemingly benevolent creation of parks, including the Desolation Sound Marine Park. Their identity is deeply integrated with the environment. While many still maintain the spiritual connection and use of land, it is increasingly complicated by Settler private property, tourism, pollution and ecologically protected areas.

Government relationship with First Nations

Desolation Sound Provincial Park is an important part of traditional territory for the Sliammon and Klahoose First Nations. The areas within the park contain important historical and spiritual sites which are culturally, economically, and socially important to the First Nations groups. According the BC governement, Sliammon First Nations reviewed treaty negotiation documents and provided input to the planning process which is reflected in various sections of the parks management plan. In 2008, both First Nations groups (Sliammon and Klahoose) were involved in treaty negotiations with senior levels of government. First Nations are able to exercise aboriginal rights subject to conservation, public safety and public health values. The final treaty may provide additional directions or changes on aboriginal rights within the park areas.

BC First Nations Environmental Contaminations Program

First Nations Projects that investigate the connection between environmental pollutants and human health are supported by the First Nations Health Authority's Environmental pollutants Program (ECP). Its goals are to encourage capacity building and assist First Nations communities in British Columbia in addressing their environmental health challenges. The Program integrates Indigenous methods of knowing, traditional knowledge, and empirical science to support community-based research on environmental health challenges.

Desolation Sound

Park ecology

Fauna

Desolation Sound Marine Park supports a diversity of terrestrial and marine species. Some terrestrial wildlife identified within the park include large mammal species like black-tailed deer and black bear while small fur bearing mammals, and various species of reptiles also inhabit the park . The park is also home to an abundance of marine animals including spawning and rearing areas for species of salmon and other fish like herring, while also supporting mammalian species such as porpoises and fin footed mammals like seals. The park also supports many migratory birds including several species of ducks and gulls; however, the presence of the marbled murrelet is particularly well documented because 10% of the Canadian Population and 1% of the global population of this bird species use the Marine Park in the summer and fall. The marbled murrelet is studied extensively because it has been listed as threatened by federal legislation since 1990, while agencies in British Columbia list it as a species of special concern . Other species at risk in the park include orcas, sea lions, eulachon, and heron.

Flora

Many coniferous tree species as well as deciduous maples and alders can be found within Desolation Sound Marine Park and the park primarily supports a second growth regime thanks to previous logging efforts and wildfires, although sections of old growth areas remain within the park . Thanks to an abundance of favourable habitats, the park also supports many species of seagrass such as eelgrass, which play an important role in sequestering carbon dioxide . Salt marshes and kelp beds present in the park combine with the eelgrass to support a diversity of shellfish.

Policy and management

It mainly focuses on 6 outcomes and in order to achieve these outcomes, 30 policy intentions are created.

A healthy and productive coast

A healthy local ecosystem is very important in the management of coastal marines as it is the basis of all the other functions that the coastal can provide. It provides home to countless different species and benefits humans in many different ways. To keep a healthy and productive coast, the BC government focuses on recovering the wildlife and habitats as well as reducing marine pollution. Wildlifes like salmons and killer whales are important parts in the local ecosystem. They have their unique contribution to the local habitats.

Resilience to climate change

Climate change is a huge impact on the ocean ecosystem. Many species suffered from it and problems have occurred in many places like ocean acidification, sea level rising and coral bleaching. The BC government believes it is important to keep the local  communities safe first as they are the first line that response to extreme weather events. Because the climate change is also affecting the seafood availability, a healthy and resilient community need to be built to decrease the impact from climate change and the government should also collaborate with the first nations to adapt to the climate change. Compared to human-based solutions, nature based solutions are more effective and long-lasting in dealing with the climate ch ange. People find them cost effective and less likely to disrupt the local habitat.

Trusting, respectful relationships

The local communities are a significant part in managing the costal areas. The first nations have their unique way of understanding and management coastal areas. The BC government believes it's crucial to respect the local community and collaborate deeply to get a comprehensive management strategy.

Holistic learning and knowledge sharing

The first nations hold a lot of precious knowledge and they have an unprecedented value in understanding and managing the costal areas. Therefore, it's very important to combine the traditional knowledge with western science to get a better understanding and assessment of coastal areas.

Community well-being

The local communities not only manage coastal areas, but also rely on coastal areas and the ocean for their well-being. Things like climate change, pollution and disconnection from decision-making process poss the local communities a lot of challenges. The province will work to create jobs and support the communities to respond to change by improving the capacity.

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park is a typical example of managing the recreational services. It is very popular among people as it offers kayak and boating activities, but the popularity is also affecting the local ecosystem. To better manage coastline development and access issues, the province aims to balance the need of recreational services and protection of local habitats. The government also seeks to collaborate with the Indigenous People to manage the Park in a effective and comprehensive way.

A sustainable, thriving ocean economy

A sustainable economy not only focuses on GDP. It benefits the local community in many perspective for a long time and it's good for people's future generation. The government would like to take different measures to build a sustainable economy, including investing a diverse economy,  promoting aquaculture and tourism,  co-developing with the indigenous people and manage cumulative effect.

Controversies

In the journal article Desolate Viewscapes, author Jonathan Clapperton claims that BC Parks gauges the park's performance by adding amenities and more visitors. Some examples of this include placing campgrounds on environmentally sensitive land or letting hundreds of yachts anchor in a few tiny bays. Despite being a no-dumping zone, sewage released from yachts concentrated in small coves poisoned several of the marine park's waters, severely contaminating the local shellfish. Because they run the risk of becoming poisoned, many Sliammon First Nations people are reluctant to eat traditional foods in the water near the parks. For ten millennia, the region served as a major source of food for Indigenous people due to the abundance of mussels, mollusks, and oysters that flourish in the warmest waters found in the north of Baja.