IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND, FIRST NATIONS' VISIONS AND B.C. TENURE CHANGE ADVANCES OLD-GROWTH PROTECTION AND A CONSERVATION ECONOMY

UNCEDED NUU-CHAH-NULTH TERRITORY (CLAYOQUOT SOUND, BC), June 18, 2024 /CNW/ - The Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations have worked with the Government of British Columbia to protect about 76,000 hectares (188,000 acres) in Clayoquot Sound. Previously licensed for commercial forestry, these new conservancies will safeguard some of the last remaining old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and directly reflect the Nations' land-use visions while advancing Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht rights and sustainable livelihoods. 

These new conservancies include old-growth forests on Meares Island, the site of the historic "War in the Woods" protests against logging that galvanized global attention in 1993. Pacific coastal rainforests, such as those in Clayoquot Sound, also hold vast amounts of carbon, making them powerful Natural Climate Solutions that will continue to sequester carbon while contributing to healthy air and water, ecosystem resilience, and the well-being of communities.

Nature United has committed more than $40 million to support the Nations' visions in Clayoquot Sound, including compensation for the forestry-tenure holder and two endowment funds that will support the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations in managing the new conservancies and catalyzing the transition to a conservation economy.

"This agreement reflects a commitment that Nature United made to these First Nations over a decade ago," says Hadley Archer, Executive Director of Nature United. "As an organization, we believe that the increased authority and capacity of Indigenous Nations and communities to steward their lands and waters is critical for the future of healthy ecosystems, communities and economies."

"We are proud that Nature United's long-term investment in Clayoquot Sound has supported a new model of collaboration and transformative change that will protect globally significant old-growth forests, provide financing for Indigenous-led stewardship, and reverberate in the province and across Canada, as other Indigenous Nations pursue self-determination and sustainable economic development, for the benefit of all citizens."

To see the full media release, visit: https://www.natureunited.ca/newsroom/

About Nature United

Nature United is a Canadian organization that supports Indigenous leadership, sustainable economic development, and large-scale conservation, primarily in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Manitoba. Our organization is also working to accelerate Natural Climate Solutions at national and regional scales. We are the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization works in 79 countries to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

SOURCE Nature United