ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on examination of the Agricultural Land Reserve Regime of British Columbia, Canada as an exemplar of adaptive management by examining the role of the Agricultural Land Commission and the Oil and Gas Commission within the province. British Columbia has adopted an adaptive management approach that seeks to safeguard arable land while developing an unconventional gas industry. This chapter examines the broad legal framework and property rights of Canada as a basis for unconventional gas activities on protected Agricultural Land Reserve lands. In further analysis, this chapter also reviews the adaptive management approach of British Columbia in the creation and maintenance of the Agricultural Land Reserve and its collaborative Delegation Agreement with the Oil and Gas Commission as the key regulatory instrument to manage land use conflicts.