Clayoquot Sound Watershed Plans

Clayoquot Sound watershed plans provide direction for managing old growth forest, wildlife trees and other values important for sustaining biological diversity in the West Coast region.

In support of the 1993 Clayoquot Sound land use decision, the B.C. government created the Scientific Panel for Sustainable Forest Practices in Clayoquot Sound. This independent body recommended a comprehensive approach to forestry planning. 

In 1995, the B.C. government adopted and agreed to implement the full suite of recommendations from the science panel’s final two reports. To implement those recommendations, the B.C. government and the Central Region Chiefs supported an extensive planning process which completed eleven watershed plans for the area defined by the Clayoquot Sound land use decision. The final watersheds plans were endorsed by the B.C. government and Central Region First Nations chiefs.

Legal objectives were established for the scientific panel principles and the watershed plans in 2008.