Burns Bog

The Corporation of Delta's new Burns Bog website is now online! Visit us at www.burnsbog.ca

Burns Bog is a raised bog ecosystem covering approximately 3,000 ha of the Fraser River delta between the south arm of the Fraser River and Boundary Bay. The largest undeveloped urban landmass in North America, Burns Bog is globally unique because of its chemistry, form, flora and large size.

Burns Bog is a truly precious natural resource that helps reduce the impact of climate change in several ways:

• absorbs and stores harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, including carbon dioxide;
• absorbs and filters large amounts of rain, contributing to improved water quality and improved health of fish stocks;
• regulates the water temperature of the streams and rivers that receive water from it;
• provides habitat for rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

The Corporation of Delta joined with partners to preserve the ecological integrity of this important area. On March 24, 2004, a binding purchase agreement was reached that covers over 2,042 hectares of Burns Bog and protects it as an Ecological Conservancy Area. The purchase also secures a parcel of land east of Highway 91 and south of 72nd Avenue that was identified by Delta Council as being important as a green zone.

The Corporation of Delta committed approximately $5.9 million towards the $73 million purchase. The Province of BC, the Government of Canada and Metro Vancouver provided the balance of funds. The four parties have completed the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area Management Plan { pdf 3.18MB } to effectively protect the special attributes of the Bog.

Burns Bog is owned and managed by the Province, Metro Vancouver, and the Corporation of Delta. A legally binding conservation covenant placed on the property will ensure that Burns Bog is protected, and managed effectively as a natural ecosystem. All levels of government have agreed to: "maintain in perpetuity a large, contiguous, undeveloped natural area for the purpose of protecting the flora and fauna that depend on the Bog; manage the Bog as a functional raised bog ecosystem as understood by the best science of the time; maintain the extent and integrity of the water mound and the peat that encloses it, and in particular the upper porous acrotelm, upon which the persistence of the ecosystem depends; and prevent any occupation or use of the Bog that will impair or interfere with the current state of the Bog or the Amenities..."

Metro Vancouver is the lead agency to ensure collaboration with all funding partners in the planning and management of the area, as defined in the Management Agreement. Burns Bog will be managed as an "Ecological Conservancy Area" or ECA. The priority will be ecological protection, not public use.

For more information on the history, purchase, conservation, science and restoration activities of Burns Bog, visit our website at http://www.burnsbog.ca

Visit Metro Vancouver's website for more information about the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area.

Reports and Related Documents

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