Great Bear Rainforest - Land use decision resources

The Great Bear Rainforest is a global treasure that covers 6.4 million hectares on British Columbia’s north and central Coast. It is the largest intact temperate coastal rainforest in the world and is home to 25 percent of the world’s remaining temperate coastal old-growth rainforest.

The 2023 Great Bear Rainforest Land Use Order and the 2016 Great Bear Rainforest (Forest Management) Act are a result of extensive government-to-government negotiations between the Coastal First Nations, Nanwakolas Council, and the Province of B.C. They are a continuation of interim 2009 land-use orders initiated by the First Nations of the region for the purpose of the Great Bear Forest Carbon Projects. Establishment of new protected areas, the GBR Land Use Order, and GBR Forest Management Act Regulations will protect and conserve 85 percent of the forest and 70 percent of old growth in the Great Bear Rainforest over time. This leaves 15 percent of the area available for sustainable forestry. These initiatives fulfill cultural, social, and economic objectives of First Nations and local communities to meet a high level of human well-being and ecological integrity – the two interconnected goals of ecosystem-based management (EBM).

Planning for this region was initiated in 1996 with the announcement of the central coast land and coastal resource management plan process. The challenge of establishing a balance between conservation values and forestry development was key for this planning process. An interim agreement was announced in April of 2001 followed by the establishment of a completion table to address outstanding points.

Preparatory work for the land and resource management planning process in the adjacent North Coast was initiated in 2001 with public planning starting in January 2002. Final recommendations were submitted to governments from the Central Coast in May 2004 and from the North Coast in February 2005.

Following government-to-government review and negotiations, the Province of B.C. and participating First Nations of the north and central coast announced the coast land use decision on February 7, 2006. This decision set the stage for implementation and further development of EBM in the central and north coast plan areas, a region known more familiarly as the Great Bear Rainforest.

Strategic land use planning agreements (SLUPAs) between First Nations and the Province established the framework for implementation of an ecosystem-based management approach to land use planning and resource management in the GBR. The SLUPAs also lead to establishment of new protected areas (114 conservancies and 21 biodiversity, mining and tourism areas). Along the way First Nations took on a role as governance partners with the Province. A collaborative, consensus-based governance structure remains in place, with First Nations and the Province working together to coordinate and manage implementation of EBM in the GBR, engaging with and seeking input from key stakeholders and the public along the way.

Carbon finance was identified as an enabling mechanism to support implementation of the GBR agreements. Preliminary work for the Great Bear Carbon Projects began in 2006 and was implemented following negotiation of an Atmospheric Benefit Sharing Agreement in 2009. This work enabled First Nations and the Province to advance the 2009 interim legislative measures and the eventual 2016 Land Use Act.

While developed independently of one another, common issues and approaches influenced the Central and North Coast planning processes. Both processes were informed by the work of the coast information team (2002-2004), an independent scientific panel tasked with defining elements of ecosystem-based management.

In addition to adopting an ecosystem-based management approach to resource management and the creation of unique new land management designations (114 conservancies and 21 biodiversity, mining and tourism areas), these processes also witnessed a fundamental change in the role of First Nations, who emerged as partners with the Province following the negotiation of government to government agreements. A collaborative governance structure with First Nations and key stakeholders continues through implementation.

• Learn more about the unique ecological and cultural significance of the Great Bear Rainforest

Legal direction

Legal direction provides direction for Ecosystem based management forest practices in the Great Bear Rainforest.

• Great Bear Rainforest Legal Direction & Agreements
• Great Bear Rainforest (Forest Management Act)
  • Special Forest Management Area Regulation
  • Forest Management Regulation

Land and resource management plans

• Central Coast Land & Resource Management Plan
• North Coast Land & Resource Management Plan

Great Bear Rainforest land use decision resources