The BC Election and Nature/ Old-Growth Protection
The BC Conservatives take an extreme, anti-nature protection stance and will "absolutely axe" BC's protected areas plans to save 30% by 2030 of the province's land area and would turn all 22 million hectares of BC's unprotected, productive forests (including old-growth) into guaranteed logging zones. They promote gross misinformation about protected areas expansion and about the state of BC's forests.
The BC NDP takes a generally strong, pro-protected areas stance, but lack critical policies. They plan to double the protected areas from 16% now to 30% by 2030, have brought in over $1 billion to do this, have protected over 300,000 hectares including in Clayoquot Sound, are in discussions with First Nations to protect millions more hectares, and have deferred logging of 1.2 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth. However, they've failed so far to devise Ecosystem-Based Targets (to ensure endangered, productive forests are prioritized for protection), to allocate old-growth deferral funding for First Nations to secure all 2.6 million hectares of most at-risk old-growth, and to close the logging loopholes in Old-Growth Management Areas and Wildlife Habitat Areas.
The BC Green Party takes a strong, pro-protected areas stance, but lacks some specificity for key policies. They support protecting 30% by 2030, including all old-growth, by working with First Nations and ensuing secure long-term funding to make it happen, and prioritizing ecosystem-health including by appointing a Chief Ecologist to counterbalance BC's Chief Forester. However, they have not mentioned Ecosystem-Based Targets to guide protected areas establishment, which is the indispensable key to ensuring the protection of the most endangered ecosystems on a sufficient scale based on science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
BC residents be sure to VOTE on Oct.19th! Visit Elections.bc.ca to find out where!!
Authorized by Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, registered sponsor under the Election Act - info@endangeredecosystemsalliance.org