British Columbia Parks and Protected Areas System | ||
Statistics (February 2020)[1] | ||
Designation | Number | Area (ha) |
---|---|---|
Class A Parks | 629 | 10,544,873 |
Class B Parks | 2 | 3,778 |
Class C Parks | 13 | 484 |
Conservancies | 156 | 2,999,899 |
Ecological Reserves | 148 | 160,293 |
Protected Areas | 84 | 384,733 |
Recreation Areas | 2 | 5,929 |
Total | 1,034 | 14,099,989 |
The British Columbia Parks and Protected Areas System is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by BC Parks, an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. These protected areas are established by order-in-council under one of several different pieces of enabling legislation.
The system includes 644 provincial parks, 2 recreation areas, 156 conservancies, 84 protected areas, and 148 ecological reserves. Four provincial parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while 24 provincial parks are designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.