Revised Great Bear Rainforest Land-Use Agreement Will Enhance Indigenous-led Stewardship and Ecosystem Management

A revised land-use agreement will enhance Indigenous-led stewardship and ecosystem management in the Great Bear Rainforest.

It builds upon an initial co-management agreement struck between the Coastal First Nations, Nanwakolas Council and Ministry of Forests in 2016.

Through that partnership, an ecosystem-based approach was selected to protect the more than 6.4 million hectares of coastal temperate forest.

Now, the trio have identified new steps to implement the approach, with First Nations’ knowledge and priorities at their core.

Those steps will increase First Nations oversight of forest planning and harvesting, better protect cultural sites, and improve stewardship.

It also seeks to more than double the 1.5 million hectares of protected and conserved lands already established in the initial agreement.

Other measures will increase habitat protections for local wildlife, particularly grizzly bears, Kermode bears, and black bears, and strengthen aquatic habitat protections.

Since 2016, the partnership has also sequestered 9.4 million tonnes of emissions, which are sold as carbon offsets to fund projects in the region.