The Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Committee (CCERC) was formed in 2008 to better address the need for more concentrated efforts of ecosystem restoration projects within the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. Membership in the committee includes representatives from provincial and federal government, as well as local First Nations, B.C. Cattlemen’s, various conservation societies and other forestry professionals.
Its main mission is to oversee, promote and support ecosystem restoration of grasslands in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. This is achieved by:
- promoting, supporting and furthering the objectives of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan Grassland Strategy, which was developed in 2001
- assisting in carrying out five-year plans developed by the CCERC
- supporting annual project plans
- promoting best management practices in ecosystem restoration that incorporate current science, local and traditional knowledge and climate change scenarios
- consulting, collaborating with and engaging stakeholders in the work of the committee
- initiating communication with the public around the objectives of the committee and the benefits of ecosystem restoration
- improving overall efficiencies by developing synergies between the differing government agencies, stakeholders and First Nations
- advocating for the use of ecosystem restoration through responsible planning and implementation, while suggesting improvements to existing practices, policies and legislation
- submitting an annual report of accomplishments to local managers and to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Range Branch