In 2000 the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation released their Land and Resource Protection and Management Plan (land use plan), one of the first of its kind developed by a First Nation in British Columbia. The expectation of the land use plan is that there will be meaningful consultation and co-management between the Kitasoo Xai’xais, other governments, and industry before any development takes place or efforts to plan or manage Kitasoo Xai’xais lands or resources.

The stated objectives of the land use plan are to provide for:

1. Sustainable and stable Kitasoo Xai’xais communities
2. The social development of Kitasoo Xai’xais families and individuals
3. The spiritual and cultural integrity of the Kitasoo Xai’xais way of life
4. The protection and enhancement of the environment
5. Economic self-reliance in employment for Kitasoo Xai’xais people and revenue to Kitasoo Xai’xais government

The land use plan provides detailed management objectives for each of the protected areas established throughout the territory. The stated primary objective of these protected areas is “protection of fish, wildlife, cultural and biodiversity values.” Low-impact tourism is allowed in the protected areas and the Kitasoo Xai’xais can continue to hunt and fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes. However, no timber harvesting, mining or other resource extraction can take place in protected areas.

Building on the land use plan, the Kitasoo Xai’xais worked with other governments and stakeholders to develop the Central Coast Land and Resource Management Plan (CCLRMP), and negotiated and agreed to a Strategic Land Use Planning Agreement with the Province of British Columbia in 2006, which provided for a collaborative implementation of the land use planning agreements in the Kitasoo Xai’xais territory.