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VICTORIA – Coastal B.C. is one step closer
towards the establishment of ecosystem-based management of forest resources,
Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell announced today with the signing of the
ministerial order to legally establish the South
Central Coast Legal Land-Use Objectives.
“Ecosystem-based management is an innovative and
groundbreaking approach to sustainable stewardship of natural resources that is
world class,” said Bell. “It will ensure the vital balance between healthy
ecosystems and vibrant communities.”
The EBM objectives are one of a number of commitments made by the Province to support a sustainable economy while protecting a healthy ecosystem in the Central and North Coast areas of British Columbia.
“We are excited to be working with the Province
to implement EBM in the southern portion of the Central Coast land-use plan,”
said Dallas W. Smith, President of the Nanwakolas Council. “Implementing
EBM in our territories will help manage for and preserve our cultural values
while maintaining the balance between the ecological and economic values that
is necessary for healthy communities.”
The Province posted a draft suite of South Central Coast
Legal Land-Use Objectives for a 60-day public review and comment period that
ended on Dec. 6, 2006. Based on the detailed comments received, the draft suite
was revised and a final, legally binding order has been issued. The legal order
now requires forest licensees to implement EBM in the southern portion of the
North and Central Coast plan area.
The historic
Coastal Land-Use Decision, encompassing the North and Central Coast plan areas,
was announced in February 2006. The decision protects one
of the world’s greatest ecological gems while balancing the needs of the
environment with the needs of the people who depend upon the land for their
livelihoods and way of life. Greenpeace, ForestEthics and the Sierra Club of
Canada, BC Chapter, were intimately involved in building this collaborative
solution for more than five years.
Vast areas of temperate coastal rain forest are protected,
including the largest intact temperate rainforest left on earth, which is home
to thousands of species of plants, birds and animals. There are 1,000-year-old
cedar trees and tall Sitka spruce lining rich salmon streams that weave through
valley bottoms, providing food for orcas, black bears, grizzlies and eagles.
The region is also home to the elusive Spirit Bear, the Province’s official
mammal.
The combined areas of the decision are approximately 6.4
million hectares, or more than twice the size of Vancouver Island. The total combined protected areas for these
regions are approximately 1.8 million hectares, more than three times the size
of Prince Edward Island.
In January 2007, the provincial and federal governments joined with an
alliance of private philanthropic groups to establish the Conservation Investments and Incentives
Initiative (CIII) fund. The Province and the federal
government each contributed $30 million, while the philanthropic groups gave
$60 million, for a total investment of $120 million. The
combined federal-provincial contribution to the CIII is directed toward
economic development opportunities for First Nations businesses involved in
activities such as sustainable fisheries, forestry and tourism. The matching
private funding provides an endowment fund for conservation management and
research.
The South Central Coast Legal Land-Use
Objectives applies to the southern portion of the North and
Central Coast plan area. A copy of the order and a map outlining the areas
where the objectives will be applied is available at: www.mediaroom.gov.bc.ca/DisplayEventDetails.aspx?eventId=389
For the remainder of the Central and North Coast plan area, a suite of draft of objectives is going forward as a separate decision in the fall of 2007. Once in place, the legal objectives for both areas will be carefully monitored to ensure they are achieving the desired ecological and socio-economic objectives, and adjusted as necessary to reflect an adaptive management approach. The Province has committed to full implementation of EBM in the entire Central and North Coast Plan area by March 2009.
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contact: |
Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-1674 250 812-8368 (cell) |
President Nanwakolas Council 250 203-0280 (cell) |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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