However, the recommended analysis framework is well-suited for any planning project which considers the social, economic and environmental implications of alternative management scenarios. This document presents a framework and set of procedures to assist planners and the public in assessing the social and economic implications of land and resource management scenarios. Planning the use of provincial Crown lands involves consideration of many factors, from the potential of the land base for various uses to how these uses are valued by local communities and the province as a whole. The intent of the planning process is to develop a management strategy that will achieve the objectives established for a particular area of Crown land. The process involves identifying and evaluating alternative land use and management strategies based on the consideration of all resource values within the area.
Public input is a key component of the planning process.
Multiple accounts analysis identifies the implications of the scenarios for each evaluation criterion, or account, and the key trade-offs between scenarios. Its purpose is to inform decision-making, not to supplant it. Alternative land and resource management scenarios for the planning area are determined through the biophysical mapping and assessment of resources. To assess how people, communities and local economies are affected by each scenario, a multiple accounts analysis is used. Multiple accounts analysis uses a set of evaluation accounts to document the range of social and economic impacts of each land and resource management scenario on local communities and the province as a whole.