The groups in Rainforest Solutions Project  agreed to stop targeting British Columbia's coastal forest products in the international marketplace as long as forestry companies deferred logging in a significant number of large intact rainforest valleys and key ecological areas. This conflict-free period marked the end of protests in the Great Bear Rainforest and the start of a dialogue -- the first step toward resolution.

The environmental groups and forestry companies formed an initiative called the Joint Solutions Project (JSP).  This cooperative initiative allowed both sides to collaborate on new solutions to longstanding environmental disagreements. The two sides agreed on models for conservation that integrated social, economic and ecological needs.

The collaborative work contributed to the provincial government's 2001 announcement of The Great Bear Rainforest Agreement.  This was an historic agreement intended to set BC on a path toward innovative and effective stewardship of its coastal temperate rainforest.

While the companies and environmental groups have not seen eye-to-eye on every issue, they have remained true to the main goal of reducing conflict and working toward solutions on the coast. In this goal, they have helped fund independent scientific analysis and other research.

photos: Adrian Dorst (banner), Patrick Armstrong (centre)