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November 23, 2005: B.C.'s Coastal Temperate Rainforest: The Vision Going Forward

B.C.

B.C.'s Coastal Temperate Rainforest:  The Vision Going Forward

By the Turning Point Initiative Society member nations (Heiltsuk First Nation, Kitasoo First Nation, Gitga"at First Nation, Wuikinuxv First Nation, Council of Haida Nation, Old Massett Village Council, Skidegate Band, Metlakatla First Nation and ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club of Canada, B.C. Chapter

British Columbia’s Central and North Coast (the Great Bear Rainforest) and the islands of Haida Gwaii are among the world’s greatest ecological treasures. One of the largest unprotected temperate rainforest remaining on the planet, this region also has a rich cultural landscape, and is the Traditional Territory of twelve First Nation communities.

From the Amazon basin to the Great Barrier Reef, the challenge on the Central and North Coast and Haida Gwaii is echoed around the world: How do we integrate the needs of natural systems with the needs of the people who depend upon them for their livelihoods and way of life?

The coastal rainforests and waters are a vital natural, cultural and economic resource for First Nations, coastal communities and British Columbia as a whole. To be successful , land use agreements must not only preserve the lands and protect its ecological integrity—they must also respect indigenous cultures and strengthen local economies. To be successful, conservation must be sustainable, both ecologically and economically.

Having inherited the responsibility to protect and restore their lands, waters and air for future generations, British Columbia’s coastal First Nations continue to work to create an ecologically and economically sustainable future. In a declaration signed in June 2000, coastal First Nations committed to make decisions that ensure the well-being of their lands and waters, and to preserve and renew their territories and cultures through tradition, knowledge, and authority. This declaration provides the foundation for protecting and restoring First Nations culture and the natural world.

Years of work - science, community forums, stakeholder dialogues and government to government negotiations - have forged agreements among diverse parties around land-use for the North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii. These agreements represent a new, more holistic approach to conservation and through them three unprecedented breakthroughs have emerged for this unique and threatened region.

The first is a commitment to a new relationship between the provincial government and First Nations. Beyond mere consultation, this government-to-government relationship allows for a more just approach to land-use decisions now and in the future.

The second sees the total size of the Great Bear Rainforest’s protected areas quadrupled to secure many of its most sensitive and intact valleys and islands. This is more than 5 million acres of area protected from logging. When approved, it will be the largest temperate rainforest protection package in Canadian history. In addition, there are over a million new acres of protected areas on Haida Gwaii, which when announcd will bring the total rainforest protection package in the region to over 7 million acres.

The third and, in many respects, boldest breakthrough is a commitment by the people of the region to rebuild a sustainable relationship with the forest itself. This relationship is termed Ecosystem-based Management, and to many coastal First Nations represents a scientific articulation of thousands of years of cultural practice and traditional resource use.

On the ground, Ecosystem-based Management means a comprehensive protected areas network within a working landscape that is managed to ensure low risk to the ecology of the rainforest. Outside of protected areas, cultural sites, rare and endangered species habitat, wildlife corridors, and other elements require special protective status while allowing EBM logging to occur in a manner that doesn’t undermine the ecological and cultural values of the region.

Economic redevelopment

Economic challenges facing the people of the region are as important as the conservation challenges. Unemployment and poverty rates in coastal communities are well above national averages.

Coastal First Nations have worked alongside the conservation community to make an alternative economy possible. Over $60 million in new private funding and investment are set to flow into the region. This is contingent upon land use agreements being finalized and implemented this fall, and matching funding from provincial and federal governments. This, then, will create a total of over $120 million for communities to create sustainable business opportunities for First Nations. An additional $80 million in Socially Responsible Investments may be secured for native and non-native ventures alike.

Ecosystem-based Management. Ecotourism. Sustainable fisheries. Other exciting new enterprises. The economy of the Central and North Coast and Haida Gwaii will indeed be 're-built to last’, following principles crafted by the people who live and work there.

Implementing a bold vision

This endeavour represents many firsts. It is the first effort to apply integrated concepts across such a large and complex natural and social landscape. At this scale, Ecosystem-based Management is a paradigm shift. It amounts to re-engineering an entire regional economy, tuning it to measurable indicators of ecological health and human well being.

The challenge is enormous. But the opportunity is extraordinary. The application of these agreements—conservation areas and Ecosystem-based Management—presents the world with its best chance yet to integrate conservation, community development and First Nations self-determination.

That is why we believe this step for Haida Gwaii and the Central and North Coast of British Columbia is worth taking. Moving forward with these agreements does not mark the end of our work, but rather the beginning of its next phase.

We are proud to support these agreements, and strongly urge the British Columbia government to use the necessary legal and legislative tools to make them a reality.

Merran Smith

Director, BC Coastal Program, ForestEthics

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi

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Topic(s): Fist Nations News, Forestry News, Healthy Communities News, More Enviro News, parks and wilderness news, policy news, Wildlife News

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