British Columbia’s varied physical geography and climate make it the most biologically and ecologically diverse province in Canada. It is home to Canada’s wettest forests along the Pacific Coast and the country’s driest forests in the southern Interior.

In 1992, six per cent of British Columbia’s land base was protected. Today, 13.8 per cent is protected and another 14 per cent is designated for special management, which means other values such as wildlife habitat take precedence over logging.

British Columbia’s 13 million hectares (about 32 million acres) of parks, protected areas and ecological reserves maintain the province’s unique diversity and protect its many ecosystems.

British Columbia’s laws and policies protect land and forest values; its conservation strategies help protect habitat for vulnerable species such as grizzly bears, spotted owls and mountain caribou. It continually reviews and adjusts forest management rules so they reflect the latest scientific knowledge and offer the best protection for all forest and land values.

In 2006, the British Columbia government created a new conservancy designation to protect special areas in the central and north Pacific Coast planning regions. Like Class A parks, the conservancies provide a high level of protection and allow no commercial resource development. However, they explicitly preserve and maintain Aboriginal uses and allow low-impact, compatible economic activities such as shellfish aquaculture.

Although a healthy forest includes a range of ages, older forests provide specialized habitats that play a significant role in maintaining biological diversity. They also hold unique cultural and spiritual values for First Nations. Conserving old growth is an important component of long-term resource management planning in British Columbia.

 

Sources

British Columbia Ministry of Environment: www.gov.bc.ca/env

British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range: www.for.gov.bc.ca

• State of the Forests Report: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/sof

Integrated Land Management Bureau: ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/

• Species at Risk Office: ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/sarco/
  

Natural Resources Canada: www.nrcan.gc.ca/com

• The State of Canada's Forests: http://canadaforests.nrcan.gc.ca/rpt