The First Nations of the B.C. Central Coast possess a storehouse of knowledge about the rainforest that is several thousand years old. In addition, several of the coastal nations have recently begun inventories and detailed mapping of their traditional territories, using their traditional ecological knowledge and the kind of western science and geographic information systems that forms the basis of this Conservation Areas Design. When these inventories and the settlement of aboriginal rights and title are complete, coastal First Nations will be able to exercise their options for a sustainable future. These options shouldn't be closed off now by a fire sale clearcutting of the entire coastal rainforest.

Critics will likely say we can't afford to preseve the rainforest. They'll argue that the restrictions required to respect the ecological integrity of the coast will cripple the economy. But the fact is, the forest industry isn't making money anyway.

According to a Ministry of Environment report published in January 2000, companies logging in the region lost an average of about $11 for every cubic metre of timber cut. Internal company documents from logging company Interfor put the losses at $37 a cubic meter. As the logging industry tries to log in more and more remote areas, the costs to access and log these areas continues to escalate.

Meanwhile, activities that make profitable, sustainable use of the rainforest are expanding. The tourism sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the B.C. economy, producing jobs at twice the pace of all other industries. In 1998, the tourism sector generated 8.8 billion dollars in revenue. Almost one million tourists cruised past the Great Bear Rainforest in 1999, enroute to Alaska. Tourists will only keep coming, however, if they can continue to experience a British Columbia that truly is super, natural.