The BC NDP government has removed the “unduly restrict clause” from forest planning that has limited forest conservation measures for decades, committed to developing a conservation financing mechanism to support First Nations economic development linked to new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA’s), committed more support to expand value-added forest industries, and with First Nations has added about 200,000 hectares of additional old growth forests into logging deferral areas.
“I am encouraged by the major shift that is underway in forestry and old-growth policies being undertaken by Premier David Eby. I’ve been working on protecting old-growth forests for over 3 decades straight in BC, and what I see now are substantial policy developments to work with First Nations – who directly decide whether old-growth forests are protected on their unceded territories in BC - to secure expanded old-growth logging deferrals and new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. The framework and funding that will enable First Nations to protect their unceded territories, while building a more diverse, resilient and prosperous economy, is increasingly being developed by the BC government under Eby. We commend Eby for this and encourage him to keep going, to go the distance as fast as possible to protect the province’s most endangered ecosystems while building a more robust, sustainable economy for all,” stated Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance executive director.
Today, BC Premier David Eby took important steps forward to enable a potential paradigm shift in BC for the conservation of at-risk old-growth forests and ecosystems. The province has removed the “unduly restrict clause” in several parts of the Forest Practices and Planning regulations, which has restricted conservation measures since the 1990’s from “unduly restricting” the available timber supply for the logging industry. The Endangered Ecosystems Alliance encourages the province to also lift other remaining restrictions on conservation measures, such as caps or limits on the timber supply impacts of new forest reserves, such as Old-Growth Management Areas and Wildlife Habitat Areas.
The province is also developing a long-term conservation financing mechanism – economic development funding for First Nations, linked to new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA’s). The vast majority of old-growth forests in British Columbia are on the unceded territories of First Nations, whose support is a legal necessity for the establishment of new protected areas (ie. The BC government legally cannot unilaterally protect the old-growth forests in BC, but instead could and should implement the enabling conditions – the policy framework and the funding – for First Nations to protect old-growth forests). Many or most First Nations communities across BC are heavily dependent on old-growth timber revenues and jobs, and the only viable path for ensuring major logging deferrals and new protected areas in the most contested, high-value areas of timber is if Indigenous communities have the freedom of choice to pursue conservation options with sufficient funding for alternative businesses and jobs in tourism, clean energy, sustainable seafood, non-timber forest products, and environmental stewardship and restoration.
“Forests Minister Bruce Ralston has referenced accepting private funding and developing forest carbon markets as the main conservation financing mechanisms. This is a start. However, given the urgency and scale of conservation needs, major direct provincial government investment in conservation financing is needed – after all, the province has a major surplus, there is an expected federal-provincial BC Nature Agreement soon that will also entail major funding, and the province and Canada have directly contributed to conservation financing previously as part of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement to protect old-growth forests. The federal government is now directly undertaking conservation financing for First Nations protected areas establishment in the Great Bear Sea, in the Northwest Territories and the James Bay Lowlands, and for Inuit communities in Nunavut. The province needs to step forward here and commit their own funds for conservation financing, and bring in federal dollars while they are at it,” stated Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance executive director.
The expected but delayed B.C. Nature Agreement (under negotiations for over 2 years now) involving substantial federal and provincial funding will serve as the immediate, near term funding source to help expand the protected areas system based on the smattering of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA’s) that are currently developed (generally in more northern, alpine, subalpine, and less contested ecosystems of lower timber value at this time, with some exceptions), while in the longer run a long-term conservation financing mechanism must exist as a consistent funding source while First Nations develop new land use plans (which takes typically a couple years of mapping, research, community consultations, and stakeholder engagement by the First Nations and the province) before most protected areas can be established.
The province also announced an additional 200,000 hectares of old growth forests to be put under logging deferral, for a total of 2.1 million hectares under deferral, up from the previous 1.87 million hectares (of which 1.05 million hectares were the most at-risk old-growth types as identified by the province’s appointed Technical Advisory Panel – it is unclear how much of the new additions consist of these most at-risk stands). Deferrals on old-growth logging are vital to “keep the trees standing in the meantime”, as precursors to potential legislated, permanent protected areas by the time First Nations land use plans are done.
“Major provincial funding for sustainable economic alternatives that is equivalent to the net logging revenues for two years in the First Nations communities in whose territories the proposed logging deferrals are in must be provided immediately, to enable First Nations to implement deferrals on the entire 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth stands across BC identified by the government’s appointed Technical Advisory Panel, along with other old-growth stands. This is our greatest immediate-term expectation of the BC government that is, as yet, unfulfilled. The federal-provincial BC Nature Agreement funds that are expected soon will also be an opportunity from which such immediate deferral funding can and should be allocated”, stated Wu.
The province today also announced a value-added investment of $90 million on top of the existing $90 million previously committed. The $180 million support for value-added forestry jobs is a vitally important part of any old-growth protection initiatives in order to sustain forestry employment levels while harvest volumes go down as a result of forth-coming conservation measures, along with the existing diminishment in the timber supply from a history of overcutting and increasing forest fires and forest pathogens as a result of global warming.
In December during the UN Biodiversity Conference’s COP15 meeting in Montreal, Premier Eby committed to doubling the protected areas in B.C. from 15% now, to 30% by 2030; to develop a conservation financing mechanism, that is, economic development funding for First Nations linked to new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas; and to target protection for the most biodiverse areas. This is a big change. Previously there was no commitment by the B.C. government to expand protected areas, to undertake conservation financing, to even recognize Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and to target the most biodiverse areas, which would include productive old-growth forests and the areas usually left minimized in the protected areas system. More details how these initiatives will be implemented are are still needed to ensure there is no space for spin and loopholes.
“For now, I expect that if the province continues along this trajectory, we will see an increase in old-growth logging deferrals including in more at-risk stands (if the immediate near-term funding for First Nations is provided), an expansion of new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas that are already well-developed, and an era of First Nations land use planning with many more new IPCA’s and forest reserve networks being established in the more at-risk forest types and ecosystems if significant conservation financing dollars are provided, including by the province and federal government. BC is starting to head in the right direction, and we commend Premier David Eby for moving forward with these key commitments,” stated Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance executive director.