New name better reflects centre's mission

Victoria, B.C. - The Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University has been renamed The Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology to more accurately reflect its mission to help improve the lives of people who rely on forestry and rural resources for economic development.

"This new identity more accurately describes the focus of our activities," said Brian Belcher, the centre's director. "We are dedicated to improving people's livelihoods and resource management through strategic and applied research on forest resources and rural economies."

Originally created in 2004, the Centre for Non-Timber Resources has built a strong reputation among policy-makers with provincial, federal and international forestry and agricultural sectors and among resource managers, Aboriginal people and rural communities. The problem, Belcher said, is that there has been a lack of popular understanding of the centre's activities and mandate.

"We wanted our name to reflect what we do. The whole area of community and small-scale resource management and development remains poorly understood and insufficiently supported," he said.

He also acknowledges that Aboriginal people continue to rely heavily on these resources and there are new markets and new opportunities to use these resources that can create value and improve livelihoods, especially in rural and remote communities.

"Our work aims to help recognize and realize the potential for sustainable natural resource-based development and we want our name to emphasize the intended outcomes more than just the products themselves," he said.

The Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology will work to fulfill its mandate through three program streams: socio-economics and policy; ecology and management; and extension, training and sector support.

"We do research that informs policy, strategic research and applied research in the first two programs. The third program - extension, training and sector support, puts research into practice," said Belcher.

The small staff at the centre partner with universities, government and private researchers in B.C., across Canada and internationally on a range of research activities. Their projects have earned them a solid reputation with funding agencies, communities, Aboriginal groups, resource-based enterprises and various government organizations.

The Centre is best-known for its Buy BCwild program and its Shop the Wild Festival at Royal Roads University that last year attracted over 2,000 people to a blend of market and public education about the forest resources and rural economies.

"As more typical resource industries such as forestry and fishing continue to face challenging times in B.C., there is an urgent and growing need for diversification and a recognition of our dependence on forest systems," said Belcher. "Through our applied research programs, we will help those rural and resource-dependent economies to diversify and sustain themselves."

Royal Roads University was established by the Province of British Columbia in 1995 specifically to deliver quality applied and professional programs to advance professionals in the workplace. The university blends online and on-campus learning with current, real-world relevance for doctorate, graduate and undergraduate degrees, certificates, diplomas, executive and custom education.