The Case for Greater Funding of B.C. Provincial Parks

Authors

  • Olivia Simms Thompson Rivers University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe771

Keywords:

protected areas funding, provincial parks, ecosystem services valuation, public goods and natural capital, biodiversity conservation, climate regulation services, park tourism economics, British Columbia parks, BC Parks

Author Biography

Olivia Simms, Thompson Rivers University

Olivia Simms is a fourth-year Economics student at Thompson Rivers University. Her previous research interests include income inequality, SME development, and space pollution. An avid language learner, Olivia also works as a journalist and tutor. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and board games.

References

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BC Parks. (2024). Visitor use attendance interim report: April–September 2024 [PDF]. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/bcparks_visitor_attendance_report_2018_2024_0877bce7cc.pdf

BC Parks. (2024a). Licence plate program annual report 2023–2024 [PDF]. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/bc_parks_lpp_annual_report_2023_24_4a4bb1485e.pdf

BC Parks. (2025). Types of parks and protected areas. https://bcparks.ca/about/our-mission-responsibilities/types-parks-protected-areas/

Blumberg, M., & Pasha, H. (2025). Which Canadian charities had the biggest revenue in 2023? Canadian Charity Law. https://www.canadiancharitylaw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Which-Canadian-charities-had-the-biggest-revenue-in-2023-1.pdf

Brodie, J., Mohd-Azlan, J., Chen, C., Wearn, O., Deith, M., Ball, J., Slade, E., Burslem, D., Teoh, S., Williams, P., Nguyen, A., Moore, J., Goetz, S., Burns, P., Jantz, P., Hakkenberg, C., Kaszta, Ż., Cushman, S., Coomes, D., Helmy, O., Reynolds, G., Rodríguez, J., Jetz, W., & Luskin, M. (2023). Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity. Nature, 620, 807–812. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06410-z

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society–British Columbia (CPAWS-BC). (n.d.). https://action.cpaws.org/page/130053/action/1?locale=en-CA

Duncanson, L., Liang, M., Leitold, V., Armston, J., Moorthy, S., Dubayah, R., Costedoat, S., Enquist, B., Fatoyinbo, L., Goetz, S., Gonzalez-Roglich, M., Merow, C., Roehrdanz, P., Tabor, K., & Zvoleff, A. (2023). The effectiveness of global protected areas for climate change mitigation. Nature Communications, 14, Article 2908. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38073-9

Ge, Y., Chen, S., Y., Wang, Y., Guo, Y., & Gan, Q. (2024). Ecosystem services and public perception of green infrastructure from the perspective of urban parks: A case study of Luoyang City, China. Sustainability, 16(17), Article 7657. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177657

Hosseini, S., Oladi, J., & Amirnejad, H. (2020). The evaluation of environmental, economic and social services of national parks. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23, 9052–9075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-01011-6

Office of the Auditor General of British Colombia. (2010). Report 3: Conservation of ecological integrity in B.C. parks and protected areas [PDF]. https://www.oag.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/963/2024/08/OAGBC-2010-08-03-OAGBC_Parks-Report_OUT2.pdf

Omotor, S. (2023). Developing sustainable fee structure in parks. CPCIL. https://cpcil.ca/developing-sustainable-fee-structure-in-parks/

Wang, P., Li, N., He, Y., & He, Y. (2022). Evaluation of cultural ecosystem service functions in national parks from the perspective of benefits of community residents. Land, 11(9), Article 1566. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091566

Wilkins, N. (2018). Elders’ Council for Parks in BC Presentation to the BC Finance Committee. https://lims.leg.bc.ca/pcms/file/6221/FGS-Budget2019-1009-03275.pdf

Zhu, D., Wu, C., Ren, H., & Hui, D. (2024). Building national parks to protect key ecosystems in China. Biological Diversity, 1(3–4), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12029

Cover image with title: Perspectives on the economics of Climate Change. Special Issue, March 2026, Online ISSN: 2819-7046. Background image taken by Peter Tsigaris of the University of Auckland campus.

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Published

2026-03-17

How to Cite

Simms, O. (2026). The Case for Greater Funding of B.C. Provincial Parks. Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment. https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe771

Issue

2026: Special Issue: Perspectives on the Economics of Climate Change

Section

Commentaries and Opinions

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Copyright (c) 2026 Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment

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