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Progress Blog (latest Update: September 2008)

This page will be updated to keep the public and the marketplace up to date on the implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Conservation Plan.

March 18, 2009

With just two weeks left to the March 31 deadline there are several outstanding pieces that require urgent attention:

Legislated revisions to logging regulations that set aside 50% of the natural levels of old growth forest
A detailed plan for maintaining 70% of the natural levels of old growth of the region by 2014
A Policy Framework for a reserve network outside of protected areas;
A credible Adaptive Management framework
Funding for collaborative planning into the future – in particular for reserve network planning - as well as monitoring and adaptive management
Ongoing support for transition to a thriving conservation-based economy.

Remind the premier to keep his promise!

December 19

Thanks to your support, the BC government has followed through with a proposal for a new set of logging regulations! So far more than 6000 emails have been sent to B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.

The proposal increases protection for old growth forest in the Great Bear Rainforest and provides better protection for Grizzly Bear and Spirit Bear habitat.

The proposed draft regulations were posted for public comment today on the government website.

After incorporating public input, the draft regulations will be made legal by March 31, 2009.

One of the world's great rainforests still depends on your continued support. By the March 31, 2009 deadline, the BC government has a lot of work still to do, including:

Enable conditions to create a thriving conservation-based economy;
Fund collaborative planning and adaptive management into the future; and,
Ensure the world-class protected areas are not threatened by inappropriate developments.

Please ask your friends to send an email to Premier Campbell

to remind him to Keep the Promise!

ForestEthics
Greenpeace Canada
Sierra Club BC

September 30
Keep the Promise

Two years ago, the BC government made a promise -- witnessed by the global community -- to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, the world's largest temperate rainforest and home to the mysterious "Spirit Bear." Keeping the promise and implementing all elements of the package is essential for the health of the Great Bear Rainforest. While some progress has been made on the ground, critical ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest are still at high risk. At stake are iconic areas of the Great Bear Rainforest where the tallest trees grow. The Province must initiate a regional plan to ensure conservation of these critical ecosystems. Without this plan the 2006 Great Bear Rainforest Agreements cannot be successful. With a March 31st, 2009 deadline fast approaching, a citizen-driven campaign has sprung up to secure the fate of this vast and unspoiled wilderness. The Great Bear Rainforest agreement has the potential to change the way the world protects its forests. Nothing less than its full implementation will do including high-bar forestry practices becoming a reality by March 31, 2009.

Send an e-message to the BC government today! Keep the promise.

July 2008
The network of Protected Areas is one step closer to reality.

In June the B.C. government legislated 46 of the remaining 50 new conservancy areas in the Great Bear Rainforest. 4 small conservancies require more consultation with First Nations. Together with 65 conservancies established in previous years, the total amount of protected areas in the Central and North coast is 1.8 million hectares.

Two areas of concern remain:

Major energy projects proposed in protected areas, such as the Banks Island wind farm planned in the Banks Nil Luutiksm conservancy.
300,000 hectares of Biodiversity Areas have yet to be formally designated (in the interim they are off limits to logging).

To ensure the conservancies maintain their ecological and cultural values, the province and First Nations must develop strong regionally consistent management plans that carry the spirit and intent of the new conservancy legislation. Sufficient resources are required to allow public input from stakeholders.

March 31, 2008
High Risk Areas in the Great Bear Rainforest Require Action:
One Year Left to Go

ForestEthics, Sierra Club BC and Greenpeace have collectively launched a billboard campaign that counts down the 12 remaining months to fulfil the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements by March 31, 2009. The unveiling of the billboard, set along the busy stretch of highway to the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria, coincides with the release of new scientific analysis that shows critical ecosystems are at high risk in the Great Bear Rainforest. The data shows a clear gap between the current state of conservation and full ecosystem health for the region.

At stake are iconic areas of the Great Bear Rainforest where the tallest trees grow. The Province must initiate a regional plan to ensure conservation of these critical ecosystems. Without this plan the 2006 Great Bear Rainforest Agreements cannot be successful.

The increased level of concern arises from the following:

The scientific analysis showing that the new protected areas and first suite of new logging rules still leave critical ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest at high risk.
Secure funding for the independent science to guide progress was not allocated in last month's provincial budget.
Two years has gone by without completing legislation to protect one third of the region (2.1 million ha).
There has been little progress in working out an overall regional plan to ensure ecological integrity and human wellbeing.

The analysis and billboard image can be accessed at: www.savethegreatbear.org

February 22, 2008: Milestone agreement bears fruit

Forest Industry and Environmentalists Create Change On-the-Ground

A set of milestones negotiated between environmental organizations and logging companies to significantly advance the implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements (announced in February 2006) has begun to bear fruit. The milestones agreement was reached between the Coast Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI), formed by Western Forest Products, Interfor, BC Timber Sales, Canfor and Catalyst Paper, and a coalition of environmental organizations including ForestEthics, Greenpeace and Sierra Club BC (Rainforest Solutions Project)

These milestones are a bilateral, voluntary agreement to proactive steps for the transition to Ecosystem Based Management. They are designed to support First Nations, the Province and stakeholders as they finalize planning and to maintain ecological and socio-economic options during the transition to EBM. Several milestones have already been achieved and will have measurable benefit for the spectacular environment of the region.

Immediate implementation of new logging regulation
Changes to logging practices based on the new regulation announced in February 2008 will have an immediate impact in large tracts of the Great Bear Rainforest. ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club BC (forming Rainforest Solutions coalition) have reached voluntary agreements with BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products to ensure that already existing logging approvals - legally exempt from the new government regulations - will be brought into high levels of compliance. This means that these logging companies will apply the better conservation standards in the Great Bear Rainforest before they are legally required to do so.

Ecologically critical areas to maintain options during transition to full EBM identified
CFCI and the environmental organizations have identified where CFCI businesses will and will not operate outside of protected areas while Ecosystem Based Management is being implemented in the Great Bear Rainforest. The intent is to maintain important ecological and socioeconomic values during transition to full Ecosystem Based Management until March 31 2009.

The areas where CFCI businesses will not conduct timber harvesting operations before March 31 2009 capture key ecological values; in particular they include forest ecosystems that are near or above high risk thresholds as defined by the EBM Handbook. These areas cover approximately 1,000,000 hectares of CFCI gross tenure, and represent approximately 40% of the CFCI forested tenure in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Work underway to allow Forest Stewardship Council Certification to support EBM.
CFCI and the three organizations held a scoping workshop with a certifier to allow for a better understanding of the certification process, the context of EBM in the Great Bear Rainforest for FSC, and clear direction on how to proceed towards certification. No forest operation in the Great Bear Rainforest is currently FSC certified.

The Milestones point towards the goal of fully implementing EBM by March 31st 2009 as agreed to by the Province, First Nations and many coastal stakeholders. The Milestones also underscore the fact that to successfully reach the goal action is required by all those involved.

February 7, 2008

On February 7, the BC government and First Nations represented by the Nanwakolas Council, Tsimshian Stewardship Committee, and Coastal First Nations (Turning Point) announced the completion of the first suite of logging regulations, that transition logging practices towards Ecosystem Based Management in the Great Bear Rainforest. The announcement of the new regulations was supported by environmental organizations and forest companies.

Logging companies operating in the region will be bound to the new regulations, which cover such elements as:

Increased buffers along high value fish habitat streams and lakes,
Restrictions on the amount of old growth forest that can be logged across the landscape and in each watershed,
Protection of First Nations cultural features,
Maintaining monumental cedar.

The legal changes and maps that show the two portions of the Great Bear Rainforest where these changes will become effective can be found here.

This first suite of new regulation puts us on the path to achieving full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009. The test of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement will be the conservation effect that changes to logging practices and new economic development initiatives have on the ground.

ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club BC have also reached a voluntary agreement with BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products to ensure that existing logging approvals - legally exempt from the new regulations announced today - will be brought into high levels of conformity with them. These companies will also apply the new regulations immediately to new logging plans, although not legally required to do so. This means that these logging companies will apply the better conservation standards in the Great Bear Rainforest before they are legally required to do so.

The new regulation provides interim requirements that are more ecologically based until new objectives are introduced to fully implement Ecosystem Based Management.

The BC Government and First Nations continue to work on a plan to achieve full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009, that has yet to be completed.

A map that identifies the high, medium and low risk management zones and determines allowable logging operations also remains outstanding.

December 3, 2007

With no additional conservancies legislated in the fall 2007 the remaining conservancies are now expected to be designated by the B.C. legislature during the spring session of 2008. Environmental organizations are tracking proposed wind farm and hydroelectric development projects that would be inconsistent with the conservancy legislation and possible changes to the map Premier Campbell announced in Feb 2006. Among other projects a wind farm is being proposed for Banks Island within the Banks Nii Luutiksm Conservancy while a hydroelectric project is being proposed that would overlap with the planned Upper Klinaklini Conservancy.

November 14, 2007

November 2007 Success: Major logging companies agree to implementation milestones

In September 2007 the Joint Solutions Project (JSP) reached consensus on milestones to track progress towards full implementation of Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) consistent with the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements of February 2006.

The Joint Solutions Project (JSP) was formed by the Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI), a group of forest companies, and the Rainforest Solutions Project (RSP), a group of environmental organizations to collaborate on the development of models for conservation and management of globally significant coastal
forests that fully integrates social, economic and ecological needs.

The milestones represent bilateral commitments between CFCI companies and RSP member groups consistent with the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements announced in February 2006 by the Province, First Nations, industry and environmental organizations.

The JSP milestones were developed recognizing that all final decisions in relation to EBM should be made by the province and First Nations on the basis of their Government to Government relationship and that collaboration between governments and stakeholders significantly increases the likelihood of successful implementation of EBM.

Key milestones include:

October 2007

A plan is in place to shift to the new system of logging
Timely compliance of forestry planning and on-the-ground practices with the initial suite of new logging practices
Ensure adequately funded and effective EBM Working Group
Support for spatially explicit planning to inform implementation of EBM

November 2007

Old growth forests are being managed to ensure low risk to biodiversity
Implementation of new logging practices is being independently monitored
Identify ecologically critical areas to maintain options during transition to full EBM
Work underway to allow Forest Stewardship Council Certification to support EBM

March 2008

Active logging plans address priority ecological components of the new system of logging
Support for a Human well being plan
Support for an Adaptive Management Framework to inform EBM
Support of a decision-making framework to implement EBM

March 2009

Full implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements
Specific marketplace support for CFCI businesses based on their role in implementing the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements

May 2, 2007

On April 17, 2007, legislation to create 41 new conservancies (165,000 hectares) along the B.C. coast was introduced by the provincial government. Together with the 24 conservancies (541,000 hectares) established in 2006 the province has now declared 65 new protected areas (706,000 hectares) in the Central and the North Coast.

These 41 recently announced protected areas cover a relatively small area of the total protection recommended for the Great Bear Rainforest.

In April 2006, the Ministry of Environment stated that, "Government's decisions respecting the two coastal LRMP areas [known as the Great Bear Rainforest] recommended approximately 110 areas equaling about 1.22 million hectares of Crown land for protection. The 85 or so remaining conservancies are expected to be established by the end of 2007.

If the Ministry of Environment is to maintain this commitment then the remaining 45 conservancies (approximately 514,000 hectares) must be legislated in the fall session of parliament. A total area of 1.2 million hectares of conservancies must be formally legislated to reach the threshold of 2 million hectares of protected areas which is a precondition for funding for the conservation-based economy. In addition to the conservancies there is 600,000 hectares of existing protected areas and 297,000 hectares in Biodiversity areas that are off-limits to logging.

The Rainforest Solutions Project

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	You are here: Home - Great Bear Watch - Progress Blog Document Actions Send this page Print this page Progress Blog (latest Update: September 2008) This page will be updated to keep the public and the marketplace up to date on the implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Conservation Plan. == March 18, 2009 With just two weeks left to the March 31 deadline there are several outstanding pieces that require urgent attention: Legislated revisions to logging regulations that set aside 50% of the natural levels of old growth forest A detailed plan for maintaining 70% of the natural levels of old growth of the region by 2014 A Policy Framework for a reserve network outside of protected areas; A credible Adaptive Management framework Funding for collaborative planning into the future – in particular for reserve network planning - as well as monitoring and adaptive management Ongoing support for transition to a thriving conservation-based economy. Remind the premier to keep his promise! December 19 Thanks to your support, the BC government has followed through with a proposal for a new set of logging regulations! So far more than 6000 emails have been sent to B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. The proposal increases protection for old growth forest in the Great Bear Rainforest and provides better protection for Grizzly Bear and Spirit Bear habitat. The proposed draft regulations were posted for public comment today on the government website. After incorporating public input, the draft regulations will be made legal by March 31, 2009. One of the world's great rainforests still depends on your continued support. By the March 31, 2009 deadline, the BC government has a lot of work still to do, including: Enable conditions to create a thriving conservation-based economy; Fund collaborative planning and adaptive management into the future; and, Ensure the world-class protected areas are not threatened by inappropriate developments. Please ask your friends to send an email to Premier Campbell to remind him to Keep the Promise! ForestEthics Greenpeace Canada Sierra Club BC == September 30 Keep the Promise Two years ago, the BC government made a promise -- witnessed by the global community -- to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, the world's largest temperate rainforest and home to the mysterious "Spirit Bear." Keeping the promise and implementing all elements of the package is essential for the health of the Great Bear Rainforest. While some progress has been made on the ground, critical ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest are still at high risk. At stake are iconic areas of the Great Bear Rainforest where the tallest trees grow. The Province must initiate a regional plan to ensure conservation of these critical ecosystems. Without this plan the 2006 Great Bear Rainforest Agreements cannot be successful. With a March 31st, 2009 deadline fast approaching, a citizen-driven campaign has sprung up to secure the fate of this vast and unspoiled wilderness. The Great Bear Rainforest agreement has the potential to change the way the world protects its forests. Nothing less than its full implementation will do including high-bar forestry practices becoming a reality by March 31, 2009. Send an e-message to the BC government today! Keep the promise. July 2008 The network of Protected Areas is one step closer to reality. In June the B.C. government legislated 46 of the remaining 50 new conservancy areas in the Great Bear Rainforest. 4 small conservancies require more consultation with First Nations. Together with 65 conservancies established in previous years, the total amount of protected areas in the Central and North coast is 1.8 million hectares. Two areas of concern remain: Major energy projects proposed in protected areas, such as the Banks Island wind farm planned in the Banks Nil Luutiksm conservancy. 300,000 hectares of Biodiversity Areas have yet to be formally designated (in the interim they are off limits to logging). To ensure the conservancies maintain their ecological and cultural values, the province and First Nations must develop strong regionally consistent management plans that carry the spirit and intent of the new conservancy legislation. Sufficient resources are required to allow public input from stakeholders. == March 31, 2008 High Risk Areas in the Great Bear Rainforest Require Action: One Year Left to Go ForestEthics, Sierra Club BC and Greenpeace have collectively launched a billboard campaign that counts down the 12 remaining months to fulfil the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements by March 31, 2009. The unveiling of the billboard, set along the busy stretch of highway to the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria, coincides with the release of new scientific analysis that shows critical ecosystems are at high risk in the Great Bear Rainforest. The data shows a clear gap between the current state of conservation and full ecosystem health for the region. At stake are iconic areas of the Great Bear Rainforest where the tallest trees grow. The Province must initiate a regional plan to ensure conservation of these critical ecosystems. Without this plan the 2006 Great Bear Rainforest Agreements cannot be successful. The increased level of concern arises from the following: The scientific analysis showing that the new protected areas and first suite of new logging rules still leave critical ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest at high risk. Secure funding for the independent science to guide progress was not allocated in last month's provincial budget. Two years has gone by without completing legislation to protect one third of the region (2.1 million ha). There has been little progress in working out an overall regional plan to ensure ecological integrity and human wellbeing. The analysis and billboard image can be accessed at: www.savethegreatbear.org February 22, 2008: Milestone agreement bears fruit Forest Industry and Environmentalists Create Change On-the-Ground A set of milestones negotiated between environmental organizations and logging companies to significantly advance the implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements (announced in February 2006) has begun to bear fruit. The milestones agreement was reached between the Coast Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI), formed by Western Forest Products, Interfor, BC Timber Sales, Canfor and Catalyst Paper, and a coalition of environmental organizations including ForestEthics, Greenpeace and Sierra Club BC (Rainforest Solutions Project) These milestones are a bilateral, voluntary agreement to proactive steps for the transition to Ecosystem Based Management. They are designed to support First Nations, the Province and stakeholders as they finalize planning and to maintain ecological and socio-economic options during the transition to EBM. Several milestones have already been achieved and will have measurable benefit for the spectacular environment of the region. Immediate implementation of new logging regulation Changes to logging practices based on the new regulation announced in February 2008 will have an immediate impact in large tracts of the Great Bear Rainforest. ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club BC (forming Rainforest Solutions coalition) have reached voluntary agreements with BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products to ensure that already existing logging approvals - legally exempt from the new government regulations - will be brought into high levels of compliance. This means that these logging companies will apply the better conservation standards in the Great Bear Rainforest before they are legally required to do so. Ecologically critical areas to maintain options during transition to full EBM identified CFCI and the environmental organizations have identified where CFCI businesses will and will not operate outside of protected areas while Ecosystem Based Management is being implemented in the Great Bear Rainforest. The intent is to maintain important ecological and socioeconomic values during transition to full Ecosystem Based Management until March 31 2009. The areas where CFCI businesses will not conduct timber harvesting operations before March 31 2009 capture key ecological values; in particular they include forest ecosystems that are near or above high risk thresholds as defined by the EBM Handbook. These areas cover approximately 1,000,000 hectares of CFCI gross tenure, and represent approximately 40% of the CFCI forested tenure in the Great Bear Rainforest. Work underway to allow Forest Stewardship Council Certification to support EBM. CFCI and the three organizations held a scoping workshop with a certifier to allow for a better understanding of the certification process, the context of EBM in the Great Bear Rainforest for FSC, and clear direction on how to proceed towards certification. No forest operation in the Great Bear Rainforest is currently FSC certified. The Milestones point towards the goal of fully implementing EBM by March 31st 2009 as agreed to by the Province, First Nations and many coastal stakeholders. The Milestones also underscore the fact that to successfully reach the goal action is required by all those involved. February 7, 2008 On February 7, the BC government and First Nations represented by the Nanwakolas Council, Tsimshian Stewardship Committee, and Coastal First Nations (Turning Point) announced the completion of the first suite of logging regulations, that transition logging practices towards Ecosystem Based Management in the Great Bear Rainforest. The announcement of the new regulations was supported by environmental organizations and forest companies. Logging companies operating in the region will be bound to the new regulations, which cover such elements as: Increased buffers along high value fish habitat streams and lakes, Restrictions on the amount of old growth forest that can be logged across the landscape and in each watershed, Protection of First Nations cultural features, Maintaining monumental cedar. The legal changes and maps that show the two portions of the Great Bear Rainforest where these changes will become effective can be found here. This first suite of new regulation puts us on the path to achieving full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009. The test of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement will be the conservation effect that changes to logging practices and new economic development initiatives have on the ground. ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Sierra Club BC have also reached a voluntary agreement with BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products to ensure that existing logging approvals - legally exempt from the new regulations announced today - will be brought into high levels of conformity with them. These companies will also apply the new regulations immediately to new logging plans, although not legally required to do so. This means that these logging companies will apply the better conservation standards in the Great Bear Rainforest before they are legally required to do so. The new regulation provides interim requirements that are more ecologically based until new objectives are introduced to fully implement Ecosystem Based Management. The BC Government and First Nations continue to work on a plan to achieve full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009, that has yet to be completed. A map that identifies the high, medium and low risk management zones and determines allowable logging operations also remains outstanding. December 3, 2007 With no additional conservancies legislated in the fall 2007 the remaining conservancies are now expected to be designated by the B.C. legislature during the spring session of 2008. Environmental organizations are tracking proposed wind farm and hydroelectric development projects that would be inconsistent with the conservancy legislation and possible changes to the map Premier Campbell announced in Feb 2006. Among other projects a wind farm is being proposed for Banks Island within the Banks Nii Luutiksm Conservancy while a hydroelectric project is being proposed that would overlap with the planned Upper Klinaklini Conservancy. November 14, 2007 November 2007 Success: Major logging companies agree to implementation milestones In September 2007 the Joint Solutions Project (JSP) reached consensus on milestones to track progress towards full implementation of Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) consistent with the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements of February 2006. The Joint Solutions Project (JSP) was formed by the Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative (CFCI), a group of forest companies, and the Rainforest Solutions Project (RSP), a group of environmental organizations to collaborate on the development of models for conservation and management of globally significant coastal forests that fully integrates social, economic and ecological needs. The milestones represent bilateral commitments between CFCI companies and RSP member groups consistent with the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements announced in February 2006 by the Province, First Nations, industry and environmental organizations. The JSP milestones were developed recognizing that all final decisions in relation to EBM should be made by the province and First Nations on the basis of their Government to Government relationship and that collaboration between governments and stakeholders significantly increases the likelihood of successful implementation of EBM. Key milestones include: October 2007 A plan is in place to shift to the new system of logging Timely compliance of forestry planning and on-the-ground practices with the initial suite of new logging practices Ensure adequately funded and effective EBM Working Group Support for spatially explicit planning to inform implementation of EBM November 2007 Old growth forests are being managed to ensure low risk to biodiversity Implementation of new logging practices is being independently monitored Identify ecologically critical areas to maintain options during transition to full EBM Work underway to allow Forest Stewardship Council Certification to support EBM March 2008 Active logging plans address priority ecological components of the new system of logging Support for a Human well being plan Support for an Adaptive Management Framework to inform EBM Support of a decision-making framework to implement EBM March 2009 Full implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements Specific marketplace support for CFCI businesses based on their role in implementing the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements May 2, 2007 On April 17, 2007, legislation to create 41 new conservancies (165,000 hectares) along the B.C. coast was introduced by the provincial government. Together with the 24 conservancies (541,000 hectares) established in 2006 the province has now declared 65 new protected areas (706,000 hectares) in the Central and the North Coast. These 41 recently announced protected areas cover a relatively small area of the total protection recommended for the Great Bear Rainforest. In April 2006, the Ministry of Environment stated that, "Government's decisions respecting the two coastal LRMP areas [known as the Great Bear Rainforest] recommended approximately 110 areas equaling about 1.22 million hectares of Crown land for protection. The 85 or so remaining conservancies are expected to be established by the end of 2007. If the Ministry of Environment is to maintain this commitment then the remaining 45 conservancies (approximately 514,000 hectares) must be legislated in the fall session of parliament. A total area of 1.2 million hectares of conservancies must be formally legislated to reach the threshold of 2 million hectares of protected areas which is a precondition for funding for the conservation-based economy. In addition to the conservancies there is 600,000 hectares of existing protected areas and 297,000 hectares in Biodiversity areas that are off-limits to logging.