Great Bear Rainforest Order, BMTAs, and Conservancy Designation

What was this engagement about?

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (The Ministry) invited comments on changes proposed to land use in the Great Bear Rainforest.
 
The ministry proposes to replace the existing South Central Coast, Central, and North Coast Orders with the proposed 2015 Great Bear Rainforest land use order. The proposed 2015 Great Bear Rainforest Order will legally establish land use objectives that must be adhered to by all major forest licence holders operating in the Great Bear Rainforest. The proposed Order addresses First Nations cultural heritage resources, freshwater ecosystems, landscape and stand level biodiversity and wildlife.
 
The ministry is also considering the establishment of up to eight new biodiversity, mining, and tourism areas (BMTAs) under the Environment and Land Use Act. For King Island the ministry is looking at the possibility of establishing a conservancy under the Park Act instead of a BMTA. The potential BMTAs/conservancy cover approximately 295,000 hectares of Crown land in the Great Bear Rainforest. The designations would only apply to provincial Crown land.
 
Together, the proposed 2015 Great Bear Rainforest Order and potential BMTAs/conservancy will maintain high levels of old forest representation (i.e. 70% of the range of natural variation), with some minor exceptions, while maintaining a viable forestry industry in the Great Bear Rainforest.
 

How can my contribution make a difference?

Members of the public were invited to submit comments about the proposed changes to the Great Bear Rainforest land use by August 10, 2015. Comments were accepted by mail, email and fax.
 

Details of the Engagement:

Date: Closed on August 10, 2015

Status: Closed

Location: North Coast

Category: Environmental Protection

Types: Email, Mail, Fax