Vast rainforest in British Columbia protected

The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the most intact ecosystems on Earth

In this story: 'Most endangered' Consumer pressure RELATED STORIES, SITES

By David Santucci
CNN Environment Unit

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (CNN) -- After a decade long "war in the woods," environmentalists, the Canadian government, native tribes and timber-industry officials have agreed to protect 1.5 million acres of coastal rainforest in British Columbia.

The announcement of the protection plan for the region, dubbed by activists as the "Great Bear Rainforest," came Wednesday.

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"The people of the coast -- and all British Columbians -- can take pride in these achievements," said Premier Ujjal Dosanjh of British Columbia. "They have reached a hard-won consensus aimed at saving areas of global significance."

An additional 2 million acres in the region will not be logged for one to two years until more stringent forestry standards can be established. The total area is nearly twice the size of Yellowstone Park.

'Most endangered'

The coastal temperate rainforest is "one of the most endangered forest types in the world," according to Matt Price of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The Great Bear Rainforest is home to some of the most biologically rich plant and animal life on earth, including eagles, wolves, salmon, grizzlies, 1,000 year-old spruce trees, and the Kermode bears or Spirit bears. This rare bear is the result of a recessive gene that makes the black bear entirely white. There are less than 400 Spirit bears in the world.

The agreement will affect the 17 native communities living in the designated area to be protected.

"It involves compromise from all parties, including ourselves and the B.C. government. While compromising can be difficult, the alternative is much less acceptable," said Guujaw, the president of the Council of the Haida Nation, which represents six of those communities. The timber industry may also benefit from the deal, because environmentalists will ease their pressure.

Consumer pressure

"As a result of these agreements, we will suspend our campaigns targeting the major coastal logging companies," said Tzeporah Berman, B.C. coordinator for ForestEthics.

Activists said this victory was the result of a four-year campaign to raise consumer pressure on the B.C. timber industry. In a 1998 New York Times advertisement organized by environmentalists, 27 Fortune-500 companies pledged to avoid purchasing products derived from old growth forests.

Home Depot, the number one retailer of lumber, agreed to phase out purchases from endangered areas by 2002 and Lowe's, the number two retailer of lumber, put further pressure on the B.C. timber industry by immediately halting the purchase of lumber from the Great Bear Rainforest.

Environmentalists are hoping this kind of global marketplace pressure will result in more protection for important lands and the end of old growth forestry.

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The Great Bear Rainforest Ecology
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