More than 450 square kilometres of forestry land now protected in southeastern B.C.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada says the effort is one of Canada’s largest private land conservation projects to date.
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More than 450 square kilometres of forestry land in southeastern B.C. has been protected from logging, the Nature Conservancy of Canada announced this week.
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The environmental non-profit group says the area, known as the Kootenay Forest Lands, is in the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, which has endorsed the project.
The land is important habitat for grizzly bears, wolverines, lynx and bull trout, and features at-risk high-elevation grasslands and ancients forests. The group adds that 930 kilometres of streams that feed into the Elk River, a waterway renowned for its world-class fly fishing, will also be protected to ensure clean water and boost fish populations.
Kootenay Forest Lands will now be held under conservation stewardship for generations to come, delivering ecological, cultural and community benefits at a scale rarely seen in Canada, the group said in a statement.
The conservation effort took more than two decades and was a partnership among First Nations, communities and private donors, including Elk Valley Resources, which operates coal mines in the valley.
The group says this latest conservation effort contributes to the already protected network of more than 7,000 square kilometres of land in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and into Montana.
In total the project cost about $90 million, with $22.6 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada, $7 million from the B.C. government and $20 million from Elk Valley Resources. The Nature Conservancy of Canada raised the rest from other businesses, foundations and private individuals.
Catherine Grenier, president of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, said this is an example of what’s possible when private groups, communities and government collaborate.
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“Projects like this turn ambition into action: protecting nature, supporting communities, and proving that conservation is one of our most powerful climate solutions. It’s proof of what we can accomplish when we come together for nature,” she said.
