Great Bear Rainforest Plan
April 13, 2009
The recently announced Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) strategy for coastal British Columbia includes the protection of approximately two million hectares of temperate rainforest, or more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.
The plan includes a $120 million Coast Opportunity Funds aimed at preserving the integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest for future generations and promoting economic development opportunities for First Nations as an alternative to logging. Also, a new land use zone with 21 designated Biodiversity, Mining and Tourism Areas (BMTAs) has been established; comprising 300,000 hectares where commercial forestry and hydro-electric generation linked to the power grid are prohibited. Low-impact logging regulations will conserve 50% of the natural range of old growth forests, effectively saving another 1.7million acres of forest from clearcut practices.
The plan, although protecting significant areas of the forest, does still allow for logging, mining and other governmental uses of the forest in various parts of the protected areas.