Flores Island Photo: Graham Osborne
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Clayoquot Sound
"Clayoquot Sound is a place of wonder, one whose beauty takes the breath away. It fills you with a sense of our sacred responsibility as stewards of this very special place. Small wonder that its preservation has prompted such passion here and around the world." Jean Chretien - UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Inauguration May, 2000
Clayoquot Sound is the largest area of ancient temperate rainforest left on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. First Nations peoples have depended on this rich well of biodiversity for survival for many thousands of years. Pacific salmon and wildlife thrive in this region of magnificent ancient forests, where trees can grow over 15 feet in diameter and as old as 1,500 years old.
Of course in modern times, these same trees are of high value to BC's major forest companies, which have already clearcut 75% of Vancouver Island's oldgrowth rainforest. So it is no surprise that such a rare remaining remnant of ancient temperate rainforest would be the subject of many passionate landuse battles.
Logging protests and blockades first began in 1983 when approval was given to log 90% of Meares Island, one of the larger islands in the Sound. In the subsequent decade, protests spread throughout the Sound as First Nations and non-native locals called for protection of the beauty, cultural and ecological values of the ancient rainforest. Meanwhile, groups such as the Wilderness Committee worked to bring the issue to the international stage.In 1993 the situation reached a boiling point after the government of the day announced that two-thirds of the Sound would be open to logging. That summer 825 people were arrested while peacefully protesting the logging, catapulting what had been only a provincial issue onto the national and international stage. As the summer wore on and the government remained intransigent, public focus turned to the logging company which held cutting rights over half of the region: Macmillan Bloedel.
The Wilderness Committee played a key role in the subsequent negotiations that led to the transfer of Macmillan Bloedel's cutting rights to a 51% First Nations-owned logging company, Iisaak Forest Resources, which has promised to stay out of pristine valleys and log sustainably for the rest of their tenure. In 2000, after many years of grassroots efforts, the Sound was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This distinction, while a huge step forward, did not provide legislated protection for all the undeveloped, pristine watersheds in Clayoquot Sound.
Over our 20 years of involvement with the campaign we've published and distributed 1.4 million copies of 12 newspapers, three books, five research reports, two hiking maps, seven posters, and countless t-shirts, bumper stickers, and videos. We met with politicians across the province, the country and indeed around the world. We hauled the stump of a 400-year-old cedar left behind in a clearcut from coast to coast to build citizen support. In a single year we were able to gather 150,000 signatures on a petition calling for the preservation of all of Clayoquot Sound's pristine valleys.
Now, industrial logging and salmon farming are once again on the rise in Clayoquot Sound. In June 2003, International Forest Products (the logging company given the rights to cut in the other parts of Clayoquot Sound) was given a ten-year permit to log enough forest in Clayoquot Sound to fill logging trucks parked bumper to bumper from Tofino to Victoria. Local First Nations, who as part of the agreement were supposed to have meaningful input into new logging plans, were ignored when they protested the approval of the new ten-year plan. Salmon farming is also causing significant damage to the Sound's waters.
In the 1980s and 1990s thousands rushed to Clayoquot Sound's defense, garnering worldwide attention and making significant gains towards protection. The book is by no means closed on Clayoquot, however, and further efforts are required to achieve full legislated conservation of Clayoquot's pristine rainforest valleys and marine ecosystems.
