A Ticking Clock

The announcement of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements in February 2006 was not the end of the story. Implementing all elements of the package within three years - by March 31, 2009 - is a complex challenge for all parties involved.

While some progress has been achieved, notably on legislating conservancies (a special kind of protected area),  300,000 hectares of biodiversity areas still have to be designated. Those areas are key to ensuring the survival and well-being of endangered species in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Another key element of the Great Bear agreement is implementing new logging practices that would give a high priority to ecosystem needs. These practices - called Ecosystem Based Management  - have now been legislated:  in July 2007 for the southern portion of the Great Bear Rainforest, and in January 2008 for the northern portion.

These regulations will change what logging looks like on the ground. For example, the full implementation of Ecosystem Based Management requires adequate levels of protection for old-growth forest.

However, in order to fully implement the new practices by March 2009 a regional plan is required. The science needed to create this plan already exists. All that is required to create a plan that would secure the ecological health of the rainforest is action by the provincial government.

While the province and First Nations are the ultimate decision-makers, a coalition of environmental organizations including Sierra Club BC and a group of logging companies are working proactively together to hold the province and First Nations accountable to their agreements.  

Sierra Club BC, Greenpeace and ForestEthics form the Rainforest Solutions Project (RSP). Western Forest Products, Interfor, BC Timber Sales, Canfor and Catalyst Paper form the Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI). Together, these groups form the Joint Solutions Project (JSP) and have jointly agreed to a set of milestones to implement Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009.  To learn more about their progress, visit www.greatbearwatch.ca.