Environmental groups call for consultation on new conservancy designation
March 15, 2006
(Vancouver, BC) – Greenpeace, ForestEthics and Sierra Club, BC Chapter, announced today they support the creation of a new conservancy designation to meet First Nations’ needs for cultural and traditional uses, and have made it clear to all parties that:
- Our understanding coming out of the Land and Resource Management Planning process was that these areas would be protected in a manner better than or equivalent to Class A parks;
- Given that changes to the Park Act are being made, it is imperative that the Province offer timely briefings and adequately consult the broader environmental community.
ForestEthics (an organization registered in Canada and the US with staff and offices in both countries), Greenpeace and Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter have requested that government engage communication with the broader environmental community on this issue for over a year.
For many years, ForestEthics, Greenpeace and Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter have made clear we do not support industrial development in parks or conservancies, including logging, mining, hydro electric projects and roads.
A new protection designation is being considered by the Provincial government under the Parks Act. The development of the new designation is one of the outstanding outcomes of the government-to- government negotiations in the Great Bear Rainforest. First Nations’ stated dissatisfaction with Class A parks relates to their interests in pursuing a conservancy model for protected areas that would allow for First Nations’ cultural and traditional uses to occur, as well as more flexibility for co-management arrangements between the Province and First Nations.