Great Bear Land Use Announcement ö Thursday, April 5, 2001

·AND NOW THE WORK BEGINS

"On behalf of the Wilderness Committee's 26,000 members, staff, volunteers, and board I would like to extend appreciation and congratulations to all involved in the ground breaking Central Coast Land Use and Resource Management Plan decisions made yesterday by the BC government and First Nations' governments. This was not a baby step· it was an adult-sized step towards conservation of BC ancient temperate rainforest. But there is still a long ways to go," cautioned an enthusiastic Paul George, founder of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Joy Foy, Wilderness Committee Campaign Director put it a lot shorter. "It's a fantastic achievement! By protecting these ancient forests for future generations, Premier Dosanjh has done something everyone in BC can be proud of."

The decision will protect 600,000 hectares (including 200,000 hectares currently in Fiordlands and Hakai Recreation Areas that are being upgraded to full park status) and defers about 500,000 hectares from logging for the next 12 to 24 months in order to be able to make protected area decisions later. The most remarkable event of yesterday was the signing of a General Protocol Agreement on Land use Planning and Interim Measures between the Province of BC and six coastal First Nations — Gitga'at, Haida, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xaixais and Metlakatla First Nations and the Old Massett Village and Skidegate Band Councils.

This protocol mandates all land use planning and future logging to be guided by an "Ecosystem Based Management Framework" document. This framework document spells out in detail how to develop truly sustainable resource use and local communities.

"It is going to take a tremendous amount of work to make this agreement a reality on the ground," commented George.

The Wilderness Committee will continue to raise public awareness about the natural values of the remaining wilderness in the area. It plans to work with other stakeholders to make sure that the Ecosystem Based Management goal of "establishing a credible terrestrial and marine protected area system that contributes to sustaining the biological richness and the biological services provided by natural terrestrial and marine processes" is fulfilled.

The Wilderness Committee will also be launching it's Cedar is Sacred campaign to raise public awareness about the diminishing supply of oldgrowth redcedar trees on BC's mainland coast and interior temperate rainforest and the need to conserve BC's remaining oldgrowth redcedar for cultural and heritage purposes today and into the future.

For more information contact:
Paul George, WCWC Founder (604) 683-8220
Joe Foy, WCWC Director (604) 880-2580