Until Ecosystem Based Management is fully implemented logging is an ongoing threat to the Great Bear Rainforest’s natural legacy. Widespread clearcutting has already destroyed 80 per cent of British Columbia’s large rainforest valleys. Every day, more endangered forests and ancient trees are cut down, destroying critical habitat for terrestrial species, such as deer, wolves and grizzly bears that rely on the forest for shelter and food.

When small streams that provide critical salmon spawning habitat are cut to their banks, increased sediment in the water makes them unsuitable for spawning. Without the shade of the forest, water temperatures in the stream rise, threatening salmon survival.

Other industrial development, such as salmon farming and mining and endanger the ecosystems of the Great Bear Rainforest. Fish farms in BC have led to numerous disease outbreaks and tons of waste that threaten local marine life. Halfway up the B.C. coast in the Broughton Archipelago, which is the most concentrated area of fish farms in the province, sea lice outbreaks that decimated wild salmon runs have been linked to fish farms in the region.

The provincial government has also made it known it hopes to develop offshore oil and gas along the coast. This raises the likelihood of oil spills in the earthquake-prone region and potentially contaminating the fragile estuaries and ecosystems of the Great Bear Rainforest. Meanwhile, grizzly bear trophy hunting continues in the rainforest, despite scientific evidence that shows grizzly populations are vulnerable.

photos: Adrian Dorst (banner), Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter (centre)