One of Canada’s biggest private land protection efforts announced in BC

Dec 19

The area conserved under the Kootenay Forest Lands project will permanently protect forests, wetlands, and grasslands from logging. Photo submitted by Nature Conservancy Canada.

By Sonal Gupta

A vast tract of land in southeastern British Columbia — sheltering old-growth forests, grizzly bears and other wildlife — will be permanently protected from logging by a major conservation project announced Tuesday.

The conservation property, called the Kootenay Forest Lands, is about four times the size of Vancouver and stretches through the Elk Valley near the Alberta and Montana borders. It spans forests, wetlands and high-elevation grasslands across the East and West Kootenays.

The project is the result of more than two decades of negotiations, fundraising and planning. It brings together, as partners, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), federal and provincial governments, Ktunaxa Nation and coal company Elk Valley Resources. The $90-million endeavour draws $20 million each from federal funding and Elk Valley Resources, with additional support from the province and private donors.

“This is one of Canada’s largest private land conservation projects to date, and it reflects years of passion, planning and partnerships,” said Julie Dabrusin, federal Environment and Climate Change Minister at the press event in Vancouver.

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Peter Allan

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