Bioregionalism : a territorial approach to governance and development of northwest British Columbia
Creators: name: Aberley, Douglas Carroll
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2010

description: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concept of bioregionalism as an alternate approach to the governance and development of Northwest British Columbia. Bioregionalism is a territorially oriented perception and practice based on the capability of a bounded physical environment to sustain both its native ecosystems and a level of human activity. The hypothesis that bioregionalism could better guide the Northwest's governance and development is argued by employing five major premises. First, the Northwest is introduced as a region where the effect of increasing industrial activity, based solely on large-scale natural resource extraction, is becoming a major concern of region residents. The potential that Native people will soon evolve methods of self-government which better address this concern is offered as a logical reason for non-Native residents of the same region to investigate similar representation. Second, a review of 10,000 years of Northwest history is organized to describe seven major eras of economic activity. This overview shows that the region has one, a distinct indentity, and two, that European explorers, colonists and industrial interests have for two centuries badly exploited both the region's natural resources and indigenous peoples. The third premise examines the structures of governance and development which currently control the region. These structures are shown to have serious flaws which perpetuate absentee government and an economy based on widespread ecosystem destruction. Extended quotes, originating from region interest groups, are offered to emphasize resistance felt against these practices and an optimism that a more positive alternative exists. The fourth premise introduces bioregionalism as one alternative way to guide the Northwest's future. The concept's literature is reviewed, its 200-year intellectual pedigree outlined and, from both these exercises, a practical Utopian working structure is developed. Bioregional theory is shown to be based on a single dominant theme: that a region population with political control over an ecolocically regulated economy would be the basic building block of a modern and responsible governance structure. The fifth premise applies the ideas of bioregionalism specifically to the Northwest. A bioregional survey is completed which both defines the area's new borders and explains in great detail the output of its present economy. Annual extraction and harvest levels of thirty natural resources over varying periods between 1877 and 1984 are presented. These figures demonstrate the Northwest's native wealth and provide a strong reference for a more detailed understanding of how the region economy operates. Finally, bioregionalism is shown to be already unconsciously practiced across the Northwest, with many more opportunities existing to expand its influence. This extended argument in favour of a bioregional alternative for the Northwest makes several conclusions. The concept would provide a better way to guide the region's future. It could be successfully implemented in the Northwest only, or be more boldly applied to all British Columbia bioregions, which are speculated as being equally rich. The broad structure of the thesis presentation, integrating both theory and place related topics, is concluded to be a useful method to address complex problems of rural regions. This approach has delivered a viable conceptual framework, a starting point from which systematic further investigation into the details of bioregionalism1s application can be tested.