2012- Over the past several decades, British Columbia’s Central Coast region, a remote area encompassing 25,000 square kilometres that is home to 4,000 residents living in the rural communities of Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Denny Island, Ocean Falls and Oweekeno, has experienced significant socio-economic change.
The region’s traditional economic base, centered on natural resource extraction, declined due to broader industry trends and depletion of key resources in the forestry and fishing sectors. In response to this decline of resources, ecosystem-based management was initiated in the central and north coast regions in 2009 after over fourteen years of intensive, complex, and ultimately consensus-based land and resource management planning processes. The intent of ecosystem-based management in the Central Coast region is to integrate all approaches to natural resource management in order to sustain ecosystem health and resiliency while supporting the sustainable human use of ecosystem goods and services.
Because of these many changes to the region’s traditional economic base, the Central Coast Regional District developed an economic development operating plan. The plan is meant to guide the region in applying sustainability principles, including full integration of ecological, social and economic values to achieve its overall goals of social and economic well-being. The primary purpose of the strategy is to build an ‘Agenda For Change’.   Through this work, the regional district is focused on creating a positive business climate, promoting the region and its businesses and organizations, assisting outside investors and liaising with governments. The economies of the regional district’s communities are well positioned for diversification and growth, and the important planning and guidance achieved through projects such as this will continue to facilitate economic development in the Central Coast.
