Battered by climate disasters, community at Kanaka Bar looks to protect old growth forest and restore ecosystems in a way that supports the First Nation’s self-sufficiency initiatives and sustainable economic development
to protect irreplaceable ecosystems that are disappearing under intensive forestry – but to do that with Indigenous consent, which has been slow to garner.
The proposed Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area would cover a biodiverse section of the canyons along the Fraser River. Steven Guilbeault, the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, toured an old-growth forest in B.C. on Sept. 1, using the visit as a backdrop to press the provincial government to reach an accord. “We will continue collaborating with the province to get a good deal to protect B.C.’s beloved nature,” he said in a statement at that time.
“We want to keep the old growth, keep the carbon in the ground,” he said. “For us to have an economy for the next 100 years, we need to invest in something more sustainable and resilient.” Economic development is possible, but within a framework that supports Kanaka Bar’s goals. “We want to work with Canadian corporations. We want to work with the existing transportation industries. But there’s going to be a few new rules. You cannot exacerbate climate change.
The property known locally as Old Man Jack’s is a tiny parcel, a little more than three hectares, which was scooped up for just under $100,000. It is dwarfed by the more ambitious Kanaka Bar proposal to set aside a large chunk of the southern Fraser Canyon in the First Nation’s traditional territories, including roughly 125 square kilometres of old-growth forests. But it is a concrete start.
“Protests are important at times,” Mr. Wu said, “but to actually save old-growth forests, it is vital to ensure First Nations have the financial resources in order to realize their conservation visions,” he said. Many First Nations rely on forestry for revenue and jobs – and he said the provincial and federal governments need to bring substantial funding to the table to create viable alternatives.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Argonauts 23, Lions 20: Second-half surge can't bring B.C. all the way backThe B.C. Lions missed a game\u002Dtying field goal, had too many penalties and a frigid start, as they maintain their up and down record since losing starter Nathan…
Read more »
Bethel-Thompson’s late TD pass lifts Toronto Argos to 23-20 win over B.C. Lions – Terrace StandardBethel-Thompson’s late TD pass lifts Toronto Argos to 23-20 win over B.C. Lions
Read more »
Body of missing Kitchener, Ont., woman found in B.C.The body of 22-year-old Jaqueline McDermott from Kitchener, Ont., has been found in B.C.
Read more »
The quest to protect Hudson Bay’s unique coastline, one of Canada’s last wild placesThis spectacular landscape is also a lens through which to view Canada’s conservation challenge
Read more »