Archived Press Releases
BC Commits to Legislate Protection of 2 Million Hectares of Great Bear Rainforest
February 7, 2006 - A coalition of three leading environmental groups, along with industry leaders and indigenous groups, announced success after a decade long campaign to protect the globally unique Great Bear Rainforest. The long awaited government announcement sets the stage to protect one third of the Great Bear Rainforest from all logging and will require the use of more sustainable logging practices for the remaining area.
Premier Campbell fails to meet commitment
September 30, 2005 - Premier Campbell has failed to keep his promise to finalize vital land use agreements for the Great Bear Rainforest by the “end of summer” according to Greenpeace, Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter, ForestEthics and Rainforest Action Network.
Hundreds Protest Canada’s Forest Destruction At Global Forest Summit
June 1, 2005 - Hundreds of concerned citizens and activists from across Canada and the United States rallied outside the world’s largest forest industry gathering to demand more forest protection and a shift to ecosystem-based logging practices for all of Canada’s endangered forests and endangered species habitat.
Government Inaction Threatens Great Bear Rainforest Agreement
April 28, 2005 - ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Sierra Club of Canada’s BC Chapter released their annual report card on the Great Bear Rainforest. The groups awarded dismal grades to the B.C. government and logging companies for not finalizing and implementing the consensus solutions package for the region, forged by First Nations and multiple stakeholders.
‘Joint Solutions Project’ Receives Forest Leadership Award
March 1, 2005 - The Joint Solutions Project, a British Columbia-based cooperative initiative formed by nine environmental groups and forestry companies to collaborate on finding new solutions to longstanding environmental disagreements in the Great Bear Rainforest, received the 2005 ForestLeadership Partnership Award for commendable teamwork between different organizations to further sustainable forestry.
Diverse Interests Reach Consensus on Land-use Recommendations for B.C.‘s Central Coast
January 13, 2004 - The Central Coast Land and Resource Management Planning (CCLRMP) table, consisting of representatives from communities, labour, environmental groups, tourism, forest companies and recreation interests, has reached an unprecedented consensus on land-use recommendations for B.C.'s Central Coast.
BC government renews short-term protection in the Great Bear Rainforest
June 30, 2003 - On June 25, the British Columbia government extended interim protection of the rainforest valleys identified in the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement. The executive Orders in Council will continue to safeguard these valleys from logging through June 30, 2004.
Great Bear Rainforest Two Years Later: BC Government Still Not Making the Grade
April 7, 2003 - ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter released their second annual Great Bear Rainforest Report Card, giving the BC government dismal grades on most aspects of its commitment to uphold the precedent-setting April 2001 agreement.
Environmentalists Release Report Warning of Bogus Forest Certification Schemes
March 26, 2003 - Environmental groups released a report documenting the environmentally destructive forest practices endorsed by industry-backed certification schemes - Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
International Body Asked To End Overcutting of Canadian Cedar
March 23, 2003 - The Heiltsuk First Nation and Greenpeace, representing several First Nations and environmental groups, today petitioned the implementation body of the Convention for Biological Diversity to help end the over-harvesting of Western Red Cedar in British Columbia, Canada.
Global buyers of wood products “going green”, IBM report shows
March 1, 2003 - Environmental groups applauded the release of a new report demonstrating that major customers of BC forest products are shifting their purchasing toward greener, more environmentally friendly products.
Old-Growth “War of Words” in New York Times
December 19, 2002 - Environmental groups ran an ad in the New York Times to correct a statement made there last week by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell regarding spotted owl management and the state of B.C.’s old growth forests
BC government orders short-term protection in the Great Bear Rainforest
May 22, 2002 - The BC cabinet formalized interim protection of the 20 intact rainforest valleys identified in the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement. In this first step toward more permanent protection, the government established executive Orders In Council that safeguard these valleys from logging and development through June 30, 2003.
One year after Great Bear Agreement, the fate of BC’s ancient rainforests is still uncertain
April 1, 2002 - One year after the precedent-setting Great Bear Rainforest Agreement was announced to protect 603,000 hectares of British Columbia's ancient forests, Gordon Campbell's Liberal government is not living up to many of its commitments. Today a coalition of environmental groups said the government's lack of progress in implementing critical components of the accord could threaten this hard-won truce between environmentalists and logging companies.
Environmental Groups Sign Strategic Protocol with Haida Nation
March 6, 2002 - March 6 marks an historic moment with the launch of the Haida title case and with the signing of a protocol with four key environmental groups - ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club of BC, and Rainforest Action Network - to work in a strategic alliance to respect the earth, waters and culture of Haida Gwaii.
Environmental Groups Express Cautious Optimism about Government Plans for BC’s Coast
November 15, 2001 - ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and the Sierra Club of British Columbia are cautiously optimistic about Sustainable Resource Management Minister Stan Hagen's announcement endorsing the Central Coast Land Use Planning Table Phase 1 decision, and completing land-use planning for the central and north coasts.
Huge Victory for Canada’s Rainforests: Environmentalists Vow to Suspend Markets Campaign
April 1, 2001 - Conservationists won a major victory today as government endorsed an historic agreement between environmentalists, First Nations, logging companies and communities on British Columbia's Central and North coast rainforests, known as the Great Bear Rainforest.