Tag Archives: Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas

Canada, First Nations take first steps to protect massive swath of deep ocean on West Coast

 Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The federal government and coastal First Nations took a significant step towards establishing a massive marine protected area off the West Coast of Vancouver Island on Tuesday.

The proposed Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxwiqak — Tsig̱isMarine Protected Area (MPA) covers a 133,000-square-kilometre swath of open ocean 150 kilometres off the island’s west coast. The area harbours a unique concentration of hydrothermal vents, underwater sea mountains and rich deep-sea biodiversity hot spots found nowhere else in the world.

Continue reading Canada, First Nations take first steps to protect massive swath of deep ocean on West Coast

Logging company’s deferrals of old-growth jewels bittersweet, environmentalists say

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

West Coast environmental organizations are cautiously optimistic after a large forestry company announced deferrals of old-growth logging in some prized conservation areas in its private land holdings on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii. 

Mosaic Forest Management, the largest private land-holder in B.C., is pausing logging on 400 square kilometres of forest for a minimum of 25 years, opting instead to rely on carbon credits to generate revenue. 

Continue reading Logging company’s deferrals of old-growth jewels bittersweet, environmentalists say