Community success stories
Decision-making authority for First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest
Our successes in the Great Bear Rainforest would not have been possible without the efforts of First Nations (Indigenous groups) to protect their land and way of life.
We lobbied for years to have First Nations in the region recognized as governments with authority over their traditional territories, and in 2001 British Columbia coastal First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest won that designation. In the years that followed, we worked with them to establish a new type of provincial legislation for protected areas called conservancies. The legislation prohibits industrial development, but allows First
Nations’ traditional and cultural uses within the protected areas. In 2006, the government of British Columbia committed to designating over five million acres (2.2 million hectares) as conservancies, and in 2008 those commitments became law.
Learn more about our victory in the Great Bear Rainforest >>
Coalbed methane drilling halted by communities of the Sacred Headwaters
In 2008, with support from ForestEthics, local communities and First Nations in British Columbia's Sacred Headwaters succeeded in securing a two-year government moratorium on Shell's plans to drill for coalbed methane. We applaud British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell's decision, and hope he will permanently ban coalbed methane development in the sacred birthplace of the Stikine, Skeena and Nass rivers.
Learn more about the Sacred Headwaters >>
Catalyzing a conservation-based economy
For conservation measures to be truly sustainable, local communities must have access to viable economic alternatives to intensive resource extraction. For example, in the Great Bear Rainforest, we helped catalyze a $120 million fund specifically dedicated to supporting conservation-based First Nations (Indigenous) initiatives. We're also working with First Nations to develop a forest management system that seeks to improve human well-being and to create healthy ecosystems. This innovative approach serves as a revolutionary model for conservation initiatives across the globe.
See how First Nations are building a conservation-based economy>>
Help us help local communities
The well-being of local communities, First Nations and other Indigenous groups is inextricably linked to the health of the ecosystems in which they live. In order to support them in their struggle to protect their land and their way of life, we need your support.
