News Flash: Great Bear Rainforest Agreements Signed & Sealed
Initially posted by EarthColor, Inc. on February 16, 2016. Re-posted with permission.
Did you know that Canada's Great Bear Rainforest (located along the Pacific coast of British Columbia) is the largest remaining temperate rainforest on Earth? Or that it is home to 1,000-year-old cedar forests and rare white spirit bears and grizzlies? Were you aware that it is the ancestral home of 26 aboriginal peoples (the First Nations) who have strong historic, cultural, community, and economic ties to the rainforest? Until the first of February, they were all threatened.
Join us as we mark the completion of the world-lauded Great Bear Rainforest Agreements, recently signed into law by B.C.Premier Christy Clark. This historic agreement promises to be a model for collaboration in solving other conservation issues on the planet.
Canopy, EarthColor's longtime environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) partner, was a key player in forging and completing this historic agreement. They worked collaboratively with government, environmental, community, and industry groups to make it happen and were particularly effective in bridging the gap between marketplace and conservation objectives and needs.
According to the agreement, 85% of the rainforest (3.1 million hectares) is now protected from logging, and the hunting of spirit (Kermode) bears and grizzlies is prohibited. The remaining 15% is subject to stringent North American environmental standards that monitor commercial logging.
"Well-deserved praise is being showered on First Nations, British Columbia's provincial government, environmental groups, and forest companies for their role in this global achievement," noted EarthColor CSO David Podmayersky, "At Canopy, we are not only applauding this incredible accomplishment, but we also want to recognize the business partners and their invaluable role in making this agreement a reality." Over 750 companies work with Canopy to advance solutions in key global conservation hotspots, such as Canada's Boreal and Indonesia's rainforests.
Visit the rainforest with Canopy at www.canopyplanet.org to learn more about this groundbreaking initiative. Our work with Canopy is one example of how EarthColor partners with ENGOs to protect the Earth and promote sustainability. You will find others highlighted in our 2015-2016 Sustainability Report. To request a copy, visit our website at www.earthcolor.com.
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