Great Bear Rainforest model provides 'greenprint' for forest protection

Posted by tracy.frauzel - 5 April 2011 at 12:28pm - Comments

A Grizzly Bear on a river ledge in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Co

Canadian forest campaigner Eduardo Sousa marks the 10th anniversary of a historic achievement to protect rainfoersts:

The United Nations declared 2011 the International Year of Forests. This is a time to celebrate the planet's forests, but it's also an opportunity to shed a much needed spotlight on the significant deforestation that continues around the world.

Our campaigns in Indonesia, the Amazon and the Congo are running full tilt to try and slow down the pace and stop deforestation. Not only for the sake of all species that rely on these precious forests but also for the sake of a warming planet which needs standing old-growth forests to retain as much carbon as possible.

So it seems fitting this year also marks the 10th anniversary for a landmark announcement to end the rampant deforestation on Canada's west coast.

It took a heated all-out campaign to preserve the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest remaining intact coastal temperate rainforest in the world. Blockades of logging roads and camps, protests at Canadian embassies around the world and a very effective international markets campaign created an international buzz around the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Great Bear Rainforest Framework Agreement announced on 4 April 2001 laid the groundwork for a solutions-based approach to complex environmental and socio-economic issues over conflicting land uses.

Solutions to the complex problem of global deforestation are vitally needed, and the preservation of the Great Bear Rainforest might be one such solution. The Great Bear Rainforest offers a global model that could help resolve not only environmental conflicts, but also address issues of social justice, especially in terms of the rights of indigenous people to their traditional territories, and their right to a sustainable livelihood.

Reflecting back, it's clear that long-lasting solutions like the Great Bear Rainforest agreement, especially in complex land-use and resource conflicts, require long-lasting commitment from all parties. These take significant time to succeed. Indeed our campaign has been running for over 15 years.

The Great Bear Rainforest is on the way to a happy ending, but the last chapter remains unwritten. All parties are working towards two goals to ensure the long-term ecological integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest (70 per cent protection of natural old growth forests across the region) and significant improvements in the well-being of communities that rely on the rainforest by 2014. Success in the Great Bear Rainforest demands that both goals are achieved.

The campaigns to protect Clayoquout Sound and the Great Bear Rainforest have gone on to inspire Greenpeace's work in the Amazon, the Congo and Indonesia. In marking the 10th anniversary of the Great Bear Rainforest Framework Agreement we hope that this successful model develops into a true 'greenprint' for global forest conservation.

Article tagged as: agreement, canada, deforestation, first nations, forests, great bear rainforest, rainforests, solution, videos

Comments Commenting is now closed

It is interesting to note that this article labels the present mid coast management strategy a "solution" in spite of the fact the author acknowledges that it has not been successful in achieving its goal of significantly improving the well being of the impacted communities. Success will not be achieved by 2014 either. It goes on to say that it has and should be used as a "green print" elsewhere, even in the absence of success. I commend the thought, work and commitment that went into the ideal; however, I can't help but snicker at the suggestion that you can have a solution in the absence of success. Branding this a greenprint for other areas knowing that it will not meet its economic objectives shows the self serving nature of the author and their ilk. Clayquot sound First Nations cannot make economic sense of that original "green print" so they are presently entering "pristine" drainages and facing the wrath of the environmental architects of the agreement. It seems to me that as long as YOUR job, YOUR economic well being and YOUR community's future does not rely upon a balanced true "solution" - any "answer" will do. As for espousing that others should use it elsewhere, I would suggest that many residents of the area will suggest that this green print is not worth the recycled paper that it was scribbled on.

By Dave L - 5 April 2011 at 8:55pm

Hi Dave,

I've asked Eduardo, the author of this blog, about the points you raise and here's his response:

Like you, we recognise that there is more work to be done to address outstanding issues in the Great Bear Rainforest region, both on an ecological front as well as on the socio-economic side of the equation.

Economic transitions are not easy, and nor do they happen quickly. This is bound to be particularly true in an area where there has been limited or imbalanced access to jobs, where there is lack of local control in decision-making over resources, and a myriad of social challenges, dating back decades.

These conditions are not easy to reverse, but there are, however, preliminary signs of progress that point towards long-term success being achievable. From the outset, everyone involved – including the environmental groups – recognised that diversifying an economy and improving social conditions would require substantive investment, which is why we focused a lot of work on raising both private as well as public funds to kick-start these changes.

Accordingly, a $120 million fund was set up under the Great Bear Rainforest agreements to fund sustainable economic projects and conservation inititiatives, and this fund has begun supporting projects – we encourage you to go to their website for more information. We will also be spotlighting a series of ventures that have been seeded under the agreements as a means of diversifying the coastal economy.

It was important to celebrate the achievements made so far, a decade later from where we were whle also acknowledging the important work ahead. We believe there is great potential for this to be a model, a ‘greenprint’ for other similar land use conflicts - but only if the Great Bear Rainforest succeeds in the two specific goals which everyone involved has agreed to. As I wrote above:

“All parties are working towards two goals by 2014 to ensure the long-term ecological integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest: 70 per cent protection of natural old growth forests across the region and significant improvements in the well-being of communities that rely on the rainforest. Success in the Great Bear Rainforest demands that both goals are achieved.”

By jamie - 12 April 2011 at 10:28am