It was another great year for Metro Vancouver’s regional parks in 2019, as work continued to protect the region’s important natural areas and connect people to nature.
According to the recently released 2019 Regional Parks Annual Report, visits to regional parks increased to nearly 12 million in 2019, with nine locations seeing record levels of visitation. Nearly 60,000 people took part in over 1,000 public programs, events and outreach activities. These initiatives were supported by close to 7,250 volunteers and regional park partners, who contributed over 22,000 hours to stewardship, education and interpretation.
As the region’s population continues to grow and communities become increasingly urban, regional parks become more and more valued by residents and important to the ecosystems they protect. To help address increasing demand, over 80 hectares of new park land were added to the regional parks system, to help mitigate regional climate change impacts.
Regional parks have seen a 67% increase in visitors over the past couple of months, compared to 2019, as residents look for ways to access nature and maintain their physical and mental health during the COVID-19 situation.
Help keep parks open by staying local and maintaining physical distancing from the moment you arrive in the park.
Additional information is available in the 2019 Regional Parks Annual Report.
