Collaborative Ocean Governance
The Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) is an agreement creating a collaborative model for ocean governance that ensures First Nations’ meaningful participation in the development of marine use management plans for the north Pacific coast.
Canada’s Oceans Act, passed in 1997, calls for management plans to be developed for large ocean areas, LOMAs, on all three coasts. LOMAs are large marine areas that share similar ecological characteristics, such as the north Pacific coast region.
In 2017, First Nations, Canada and British Columbia gave full endorsement for PNCIMA.
The PNCIMA plan sets broad planning goals and strategies for the management of 102,000 square kilometres of ocean area on the Great Bear coast. The agreement applies to the same ocean area as the Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast, MaPP.
The plan is high level and strategic and is a commitment to integrated, ecosystem-based and adaptive management of marine activities and resources in the planning area.
PNCIMA Goals
- Integrity of the marine ecosystems in PNCIMA, primarily with respect to their structure, function and resilience
- Human well-being supported through societal, economic, spiritual and cultural connections to marine ecosystems in PNCIMA
- Collaborative, effective, transparent and integrated governance, management and public engagement
- Improved understanding of complex marine ecosystems and changing marine environments
