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