Sixteen years in the making, the great bear rainforest agreements have secured. The 2016 great bear rainforest land use order and great bear rainforest forest management act will conserve 85% of the forest and 70% of old growth over. To learn more about first nations, the great bear rainforest, and coast. The science behind the great bear rainforest deal huffpost. Since then, both the nanwakolas council and coastal first nations have been approached by indigenous people in nunavut, first nations in the boreal forest, and aboriginal groups in hawaii, the south. Great bear rainforest agreement raincoast conservation. The great bear rainforest is a temperate rain forest on the pacific coast of british columbia. Thats been a significant change in the conservation movement. Over the years that ive been working on this two decadelong c. The great bear rainforest agreement is a victory for everyone involved, including the forest industry, said its members after yesterdays announcement signaled that. The great bear rainforest is now a landscape of hope, said jens wieting, a forest and climate campaigner for the sierra club of bc. January 2016 great bear rainforest order part 1 6 applicable first nation means any first nation with an asserted or established aboriginal right, aboriginal title or treaty right to the area under consideration.
Great bear rainforest hunting negotiations to cost. New regulations enact historic great bear rainforest legislation. In february 2016, the bc government announced that a final agreement had been reached to protect the great bear rainforest. British columbia reaches agreement to protect vast coastal. Measuring our impact in the great bear rainforest pacific wild. It is a principled approach that sets a new legal and sciencebased standard for sustaining healthy forests and maintains intact, oldgrowth that will keep millions of tonnes of. After five years of grassroots activism, the timber companies, canadian government and first nations were at the negotiating table.
A nanwakolas council drummer celebrates the great bear rainforest agreement with a traditional dance on mon. Premier clark announces landmark great bear rainforest. The agreement stipulates that 85% of the great bear rainforest has been restricted from logging and the remaining areas must adhere to strict ecosystembased management practices. The agreement protects 85% of the forest from timber harvesting, while.
Great bear rainforest agreement meets the approval of environmentalists, forest companies, first nations and the provincial government for the 6. After a decade at that table, the deal was reached in february 2016. A new agreement protects most of canadas great bear rainforest from logging. Legalizing the great bear rainforest agreements mcgill law. Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples undrip,16 a declaration outlining the rights that. Explore the wildlife, the waterfallfilled wonder, and the human history of one of earths most spectacular coastlines the last stand of the. Eight new areas covering almost 295,000 hectares will be offlimits to logging with 85% 3. The 2016 great bear rainforest land use order and great bear rainforest forest management act will conserve 85% of the forest and 70% of old growth over time, achieving a high level of ecological integrity. A new agreement protects most of canadas great bear. A new agreement protects most of canadas great bear rainforest. The great bear rainforest agreement between first nations, environmental groups, forest companies and the b. Week of february 5, 2016 stream download this segment as an mp3 file. Great bear rainforest victory agreement press conference. Great bear rainforest agreement signed the working.
The great bear rainforest is a global treasure, and all british columbians have a stake in protecting it, said clark in a statement. How to visit the great bear rainforest in british columbia. Unfortunately this agreement enshrines the idea that ancientforest logging is part of doing business in the great bear rainforest. Timberwest celebrates historic great bear rainforest agreement. About 9 million acres are off limits to logging, with the balance managed under some of the worlds most. The great bear rainforest is one of the largest remaining relatively intact temperate rainforest areas of the world. Great bear rainforest special forest management area regulation. The new framework for the great bear rainforest is now a reality on the ground. On february 1, 2016, the final great bear rainforest agreement was signed between first nations and the british columbia government, permanently conserving 19 million acres of pacific coast between vancouver island and southeast alaska. The new agreement makes it illegal to hunt grizzlies and kermodes.
January 2016 great bear rainforest order 2 great bear rainforest order preamble it is the goal of the province, through land use objectives and other measures, to implement ecosystembased management within the great bear rainforest area. On february 1, 2016, the premier of british columbia and first nations of the great bear rainforest region announced a conservation agreement of global significance. Fulfilment of the great bear rainforest agreements was announced february 1, 2016 in vancouver. The great bear rainforest is a remarkable example of this forest type, hosting a dense web of natural life, including towering ancient trees, orcas, salmon, wolves, grizzlies, and the unique whitefurred black bear, known as the spirit bear. The province is committed to implementing ecosystembased. It is a principled approach that sets a new legal and sciencebased standard for sustaining healthy forests and maintains intact, oldgrowth that will keep millions of tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere. Final agreement reached to protect bcs great bear rainforest. A historic conservation agreement will protect canadas. The 2016 great bear rainforest agreement is a model that offers important lessons. Spectacular photos reveal newly protected great bear. In may 2016 canada officially adopted the united nations. Protecting canadas great bear rainforest global greengrants.
But its lessons are relevant to business, first nations and environmental leaders engaged at all scales of resource conflict. The great bear rainforest agreement, as much as i admire it, is a sale to the highest bidder. Great bear rainforest pact is a jewel in the crown of canadas protected areas may 16, 2018 b. First nations, environmental groups, and forest industry representatives announced how the great bear rainforest would be managed now and into the future. Bears and wolf packs thrive as they have for millennia. Situation on february 1, 2016, the government of bc and representatives from first nations, environmental groups and the coastal forest industry celebrated an agreement about land designations along the north and central coast of bc, referred to as the great bear rainforest. A sweeping landuse agreement that protects 85% of the great bear rainforest and ends 20 years of environmental. The announcement in february 2016 of an agreement to protect the great bear rainforest was the culmination of decades of work led by the ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations. New regulations enact historic great bear rainforest. It is a landscape where economic activity will again begin to align with natures limits. The kermode spirit bear, a subspecies of black bear with a white coat and british columbias provincial mammal, is found almost exclusively in the great bear rainforest. Nanwakolas council dancers and drummers councillor wendy grant. Premier christy clark announces the deal to protect the great bear.
Key architects of great bear rainforest agreement reflect. The historic agreement that secures the future of the great bear rainforest means more old and secondgrowth forest will be protected, while still ensuring opportunities for lowimpact economic development and jobs for local first. It was one of the most complex multistakeholder negotiations ever undertaken in canada. Park act in 2014 leave parts of the rainforest in provincial parks open to a network of new pipeline developments. How are the british royals connected to the great bear rainforest. Today first nations governments and the bc government, with the support of forestethics solutions, greenpeace, sierra club bc and five forestry companies, announced the fulfilment of the great bear rainforest agreements. Great bear rainforest agreement signed the working forest. However, while the agreement aims to protect 85 per cent of the forested area. The great bear rainforest agreement was negotiated by such a diverse group of interests that at times consensus seemed all but impossible. Great bear rainforest agreement watershed sentinel. Best practices from the great bear rainforest agreement.
Independent conservation science played a key role in. The great bear rainforest is a global treasure that covers 6. Eightyfive percent of the remote wilderness regions coastal temperate rainforests are now permanently offlimits to industrial logging. This historic legal order is the result of more than 15 years of discussions between first nations, government, forest companies and environmental groups working together to find sustainable environmental, social and economic solutions within the great bear. The majority of the land base simply will never be logged because it either does not support forested landscape or is. Long heralded as the worlds largest intact temperate rainforest, the great bear forest in western.
While the great bear rainforest agreement imposes strict limits on where and how industrial development can occur, littleknown amendments to the b. Great bear rainforest agreement creates a gift to the world. The historic agreement that secures the future of the great bear rainforest means more old and secondgrowth forest will be protected, while still ensuring opportunities for low. The forest was admitted to the queens commonwealth canopy in september of the same year. February 1, 2017 marks one year since the announcement of the great bear rainforest legal and policy framework by first nations governments and the bc government, with the support of greenpeace, sierra club bc and stand formerly forestethics and five. With great bear rainforest agreement done, forest companies plan for compliance derrick penner, vancouver sun 02. Today, the government of british columbia announced support for a new, landmark approach to conservation and forest management for the great bear rainforest.
The agreement enshrines protection for forest land and ecosystems in the 6. Bcs great bear rainforest protected in historic agreement. The majority of the land base simply will never be logged because it either does not support forested landscape or is inaccessible from an operations standpoint. A grizzly bear and cub play in a body of water in british columbias great bear rainforest. Great bear rainforest deal expands carbon credits supply. Under this landmark agreement, more old and secondgrowth forest will be protected, while still ensuring opportunities for economic development and jobs for local first nations. The 2016 great bear rainforest land use order and the great bear rainforest forest management act will conserve 85 percent of the forest and 70 percent of old growth over time, achieving a high level of ecological integrity. Great bear rainforest coast land use decision update. Nanwakolas council president dallas smith cracks a joke at the great bear rainforest agreement announcement on mon.
Globally significant landmark agreement reached bc gov news. Grizzly bears, black bears and their genetic variant, the rare white kermode or spirit bear, also depend on the rainforest for their habitat. How coastal first nations fared in the great bear rainforest. There are likely fewer than 400 of these rare bears in existence. The regulations announced today bring the act into effect and meet governments commitment to full implementation of ecosystembased management in the area. By ronnie safarov after nearly two decades of conflict and endless negotiation between environmental activists, first nations and the forestry industry, the b. And those who live and work on the land, those like my lakota friends on. The 2016 great bear rainforest act will conserve 85% of the forest and 70% of old growth over time, achieving a high level of ecological integrity. A unique area requires a unique solution, he explained, and the 2016 great bear rainforest order certainly fits the bill. With great bear rainforest agreement done, forest companies plan. The great bear rainforest is a land of fjords, islands and great river estuaries. The great bear rainforest agreement included four key elements. February 1, 2017 marks one year since the announcement of the great bear rainforest legal and policy framework by first nations governments and the bc government, with the support of greenpeace, sierra club bc and stand formerly forestethics and five forestry companies collectively.
The great bear rainforest a vision realized february 2016 all photos by jens wieting. From amebc situation on february 1, 2016, the government of bc and representatives from first nations, environmental groups and the coastal forest industry celebrated an agreement about land designations along the north and central coast of bc, referred to as the great bear rainforest. As of now, 20 intact rainforest valleys encompassing more than 600,000 hectares will be protected from industrial logging and development. Spectacular photos reveal newly protected great bear rainforest. The agreement also addresses first nations cultural heritage resources, freshwater ecosystems, and wildlife habitat. The great bear rainforest agreements is one of the most visionary forest conservation plans on earth, says valerie langer, forestethics solutions director. Part 2 forest management area for the great bear rainforest designation of gbr forest management area 6 1 in this section, official map means the map deposited in the media vault, geobc, victoria as map of great bear rainforest forest management area, reference number 577. The great bear rainforest gbr agreements are heralded as one of the most.
Now fill it with wolves, eagles, bears and old growth trees and then. Great bear rainforest deal expands carbon credits supply derrick penner, vancouver sun 02. The great bear rainforest announcement outlines the forest practices for the area and increases the amount of protected oldgrowth forest from 50% to 70%. Great bear rainforest agreement a victory for forestry. A quick guide to the great bear rainforest keep exploring. The great bear rainforest was officially recognized by the government of british columbia in february 2016, when it announced an agreement to permanently protect 85% of the oldgrowth forested area from industrial logging. Because of the uniqueness of the great bear rainforest and the innovative elements in the new and amended agreements, the b. Great bear rainforest victory agreement press conference 2016. These initiatives fulfill cultural, social and economic objectives of first. Great bear rainforest agreement ends 20year war in the woods.
The great bear rainforest land use order was finalized in february 2016, and the great bear rainforest forest management act received royal assent in may 2016. The great bear rainforest is a geographically complex coastline, dominated by rock, ice, bogs, and steep terrain. On february 1, 2016, premier christy clark announced an agreement had been. The great bear rainforest agreement has been a long time in the making. The great bear rainforest agreement what does it mean. It is the low elevation and ecologically productive forest that exists outside of protected areas, the areas that are. Pitched as a way to get beyond the valleybyvalley war in the woods in b.