Clayoquot Sound is one of Canada's best known environmental hotspots. First Nations and environmentalists have been working together for over a decade to halt the clearcutting of Clayoquot's ancient forests by two large, multi-national logging companies-MacMillan Bloedel (MB) and Interfor-and to save the region's wild salmon streams and special places.

Beautiful Clayoquot Sound

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.15-No.12 - Summer 1996

Renewed Interim Measures Agreement extends local community control while treaty negotiations continue

Kurt John from Ahousah

Kurt John from Ahousaht measures a CMT (culturally modified tree) with numerous 2 cm long chop marks. This cedar was aboriginally harvested years ago deep in the Ursus Valley.

In March of 1994, the First Nations of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council's Central Region and the Government of B.C. signed an historic two-year Interim Measures Agreement (IMA). It sets out how decisions regarding resource development in Clayoquot Sound will be made while a treaty with the First Nations who have aboriginal title to the region is being negotiated.

Shortly after the IMA was signed, the Nuu-chah-nulth and the federal and provincial governments entered into treaty negotiations that are on-going at the present time.

The IMA clearly recognizes the First Nation's authority in Clayoquot Sound. ""The Parties acknowledge that the Hawiih (Hereditary Chiefs) of the First Nations have the responsibility to preserve and protect their territories and waters for generations which will follow."

A key measure in the IMA is the establishment of a Central Regional Board (CRB) which reviews all resource development plans for Clayoquot Sound. The CRB is made up of five members and a co-chair appointed by the Province and five members and a co-chair appointed by First Nations. This new level of government not only gives First Nations virtual veto power over any development in the Sound but also involves local non-native residents in Clayoquot land use decisions. All decisions of the CRB are reached by consensus.

On April 24, 1996, a revised IMA was extended for another 3 years. The new Interim Measures Extension Agreement (IMEA) re-confirms the goals of maintaining the ecological integrity of Clayoquot, developing sustainable alternatives to ease the unemployment situation for First Nations, and protecting and conserving resources for future generations. Measures in the new IMEA include:

  • Incorporating the Scientific Panel Recommendations, including the recognition of traditional ecological knowledge. (Note: The Scientific Panel, an independent, 19-member panel of scientists and First Nations experts, completed a two-year study of how to sustainably log in Clayoquot Sound in a way that would not negatively impact on other resource values, including salmon. The panel's 128 recommendations were entirely accepted by the B.C. government, as well as by First Nations, logging companies and environment groups in July, 1995.)
  • Increasing local ownership in the forest industry.
  • Respecting and protecting aboriginal uses of resources in Clayoquot Sound, including protecting all Culturally Modified Trees.
  • Applying the concept of Tribal Park to certain select areas of Clayoquot Sound. The CRB may initiate new work with respect to the declaration and establishment of tribal parks.
  • The CRB having a role in coordinating the proposed UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Designation for Clayoquot Sound.

    • The new IMEA also channels a big chunk of any future logging (an estimated 40,000 cubic metres from already developed watersheds in Clayoquot) into a "joint venture corporation" between MacMillan Bloedel and First Nations with the aim of reducing First Nations' unemployment and increasing First Nations' ownership in business enterprises. The Joint Venture Corporation must apply traditional native environmental and cultural knowledge, investigate locally-based value-added manufacturing and utilize ecologically-sensitive harvesting techniques designed to maintain old growth attributes and biodiversity.

    The effect of the IMEA combined with initial implementation of the Scientific Panel recommendations has been to greatly reduce the rate of logging in Clayoquot Sound. The CRB has rejected and turned back for revision many cutting plans. While about 600,000 cubic metres of wood were taken out of Clayoquot in 1992 (about 20,000 logging truck loads), logging plans forecast less than 150,000 cubic metres (5,000 logging truck loads) for 1996.

    These cut levels will undoubtedly have to be reduced even further to allow moratoriums on pristine areas to continue while intensive and thorough longitudinal inventories of all ecosystem values are conducted, under the guidance of the CRB and according to Scientific Panel recommendations, in all the pristine areas of Clayoquot Sound.