The Islands Trust Policy Statement, and how it’s veering off-course

In July 2025, the Islands Trust Council gave the first reading of the draft Trust Policy Statement. This reading was part of a long-term process that began in 2019 to amend the Islands Trust Policy Statement, which has not been updated since 1994. The public was invited to provide feedback and comment on the changes put forward in the draft Trust Policy Statement.

Then and now

Here, we compare key changes that have been made to the Islands Trust Policy Statement. While several changes have been made, we are placing a specific lens on changes pertaining to the twin biodiversity and climate change crises.

In Table 1, we look at explicit policies and highlight the changes made in the most recent draft Trust Policy Statement pertaining to protected areas and sensitive ecosystems.

In Table 2, we explore overarching policy topics that intersect with the twin biodiversity and climate change crises, and how the most recent draft Trust Policy Statement addresses these topics.

Explicit climate change focus

The updated policy explicitly integrates climate considerations, something that is missing from the 1994 version. According to reporting on the update process, climate change is one of the “two big additions” in the new draft (along with Indigenous reconciliation).

The 2025 draft Trust Policy Statement includes objectives such as:

• Encouraging nature‑based climate solutions (e.g., coastal restoration, forests, eelgrass meadows), and 
• Supporting GHG emissions reductions through land‑use planning and transportation policy alignment. 

These indicate stronger environmental commitments than earlier versions of the Trust Policy Statement. However, encouraging and supporting is non-committal language, similar to language used in the 1994 version.

Mandatory vs. non‑mandatory commitments

Mandatory Directives in the 1994 Trust Policy Statement contained commitments, recommendations, and directives, but:

• Directives were fewer and less detailed, giving Local Trust Committees more latitude; and
• Environmental protections were often expressed as general commitments.

The 2025 draft Trust Policy Statement maintains the same policy categories (commitments, recommendations, and directives), but:

• Modernized Directive Policies strengthen enforceability where applicable.

However, Directive Policies are the only mandatory elements that Local Trust Committees must follow.

Updated language in the 2025 draft Trust Policy Statement provokes a very important nuance: environmental commitments are often expressed as “commitments” or “recommendations,” but binding power comes from the “Directive Policies.”

• Only the Directive Policies are mandatory and must be followed by Local Trust Committees.
• Commitments and recommendations, while strong in tone, are not legally binding. (PDF) 

Introduced Goals 3 and 5 demonstrate an intention by the Islands Trust to:

• Preserve ecological integrity,
• Protect biodiversity, and
• Steward terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

However, these Goals are framed as objectives, and though they guide the creation of Directive Policies, some of which are mandatory, they are not directive policies in and of themselves. This means the strength of environmental protection hinges on how Directive Policies are drafted and enforced. Despite this, the new language does offer some strengths, such as:

• Explicitly centering ecosystem protection, biodiversity, climate resilience, and stewardship;
• Including multiple goals and objectives directly addressing ecological health;
• Closing gaps (e.g., climate change) present in the 1994 version;

While the intent is seemingly conservation‑centric, there are limitations, such as:

• Much of the language is high‑level and not legally binding, with no corresponding Directive Policies.
• Local implementation will vary, depending on how local trust committees interpret and apply the directives.

While the TPS makes strong stated environmental commitments, especially compared to the past version, its operationality depends on the enforceability of Directive Policies and implementation by local trust committees.

What does this mean?

The Islands Trust Policy Statement will be used to guide the focus and work of the Trust Council into 2050. As the twin biodiversity and climate change crises are expected to continue to amplify and reinforce one another, land use policy bears more weight than ever before. Once approved, the Trust Policy Statement will guide Official Community Plans and be adopted into local bylaws, shaping the landscape and communities of the Trust Area into 2050.