Canada to Protect 15 Million Acres of British Columbia Forest

The Canadian government has made good on a promise to protect 15.8 million acres of unique British Columbia rainforest–an area more than twice the size of the entire country of Belgium.

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The Great Bear Rainforest Protection Plan was first proposed in 2006. On March 31 of this year, Agriculture and Lands Minister Ron Cantelon announced Canada would move forward with the plan. The plan will increase conservation and ensure sustainable forestry practices in the area. It’s supported by the BC government, First Nations indigenous tribes and industry. It also has the support of environmental groups like ForestEthics, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club BC.

“Three years ago we announced an unprecedented collaboration and today B.C. has set an example for the world in one of the largest co-ordinated land use planning efforts on record,” said Cantelon. “Working hard with our First Nations partners as well as industry, environmental and community leaders, together we have achieved a holistic approach to managing human activities and protecting biodiversity. EBM represents a new foundation towards a sustainable economy, First Nations economic self-sufficiency and community well-being.”

The plan’s strategy includes:

• A combined land use planning area of approximately 6.4 million hectares (15.8 million acres).
• A total of approximately two million hectares of protected areas are now in place, or more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.
• $120 million Coast Opportunity Funds established, aimed at preserving the integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest for generations to come and promoting economic development opportunities for First Nations.
• One-hundred-and-fourteen conservancies have been established across the Central Coast and North Coast planning regions.
• A new land use zone with 21 designated Biodiversity, Mining and Tourism Areas (BMTAs) has also been established, comprising 300,000 hectares where commercial forestry and hydro-electric generation linked to the power grid are prohibited.
• Low-impact logging regulations that will conserve 50 per cent of the natural range of old growth forests.
• An Adaptive Management framework that will continually test and improve the EBM system.

“If everyone remains committed to the goals and follows through, this astoundingly rich coastal ecosystem will continue to support iconic species like the Spirit bear, the conservation of massive carbon storehouses in thousand year old trees and a bright future for the First Nations communities,” said Valerie Langer of ForestEthics.

Via: ENN and the government of British Columbia

Image credit: Public domain, via the government of British Columbia.

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