New legislation was passed by the province to allow for protected areas that includes co-management by First Nations of their traditional lands. They are called Conservancies. These areas are to be protected from industrial activities. First Nations are involved in developing the conservation management plans for these areas and in monitoring them.

Of the 2 million hectares to be protected 1.22 million hectares will be under Conservancy designation and 297,000 hectares will be in Biodiversity areas that are protected from logging but where other industrial activities could happen. These are in addition to 600,000 hectares of existing protected areas.

August 2008 progress:
In June the B.C. government legislated all but 4 of the remaining 50 new conservancy areas in the Great Bear Rainforest. The network of Protected Areas announced in 2006 is one step closer to reality.

View progress blog for more details...

Government and First Nations adopt a transition and implementation plan—the road map to full implementation of Ecosystem Based Management.

The Province and First Nations need to adopt a clear plan, including on-the-ground milestones, to achieve the full implementation of new logging practices. The logging industry must develop adaptive business plans to ensure successful implementation of these new logging practices by March 2009.

August 2008 status:
In spring 2008 Government and First Nations adopted a transition and implementation plan to realize the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements. Successful implementation of the plan will depend upon collaboration with key stakeholders, monitoring and funding for on-going implementation.

Agreement on this milestone will limit the extent to which past forest management planning and practices will continue while the ongoing transition to Ecosystem Based Management is taking place. The intent is to proactively move forest planning and on-the-ground practices into compliance with the initial suite of Ecosystem Based Management and legal objectives.

February 2008 status:
ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club BC have reached a voluntary agreement with BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products to ensure that already existing logging approvals - legally exempt from the government regulations announced in February 2008 - will be brought into high levels of compliance. This means that these logging companies will apply the better conservation standards of the Great Bear Rainforest regulations before they are legally required to do so.

Ensure an adequately funded and effective Ecosystem Based Management Working Group to ensure the timely provision of independent and credible information and advice on how to successfully deliver Ecosystem Based Management.

August 2008 status:
First Nations from the region and the province, together with multiple stakeholders, have a collaborative working group (Ecosystem Based Management Working Group) that provides expert, independent science-based recommendations for implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement. This body remains only partially funded. Provincial funding will be required for monitoring and adaptive management to occur in the long term through an independent body after March 31 2009.

Support for spatially explicit planning to inform implementation of EBM*

Work towards government and First Nations support for the development and use of spatially explicit planning to inform implementation of Ecosystem Based Management throughout the Great Bear Rainforest.

February 2008 status:
CFCI and RSP provide ongoing support to government and First Nations for the development and use of spatially explicit planning to inform implementation of Ecosystem Based Management throughout the Great Bear Rainforest.

* Milestones marked with an asterisk are agreed to by major logging companies and environmental organizations that work together in the Joint Solutions Project (JSP). The JSP was established by the Coast Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI), formed by Western Forest Products, Interfor, BC Timber Sales, Canfor and Catalyst Paper, and the Rainforest Solutions Project (RSP). Progress on these milestones will be assessed by an independent assessor.

Next milestone: November 2007