To the Select Standing Committee on Finance & Govt. Services,
To create a truly sustainable and resilient economy, we must protect the natural ecosystems on which we all depend for our health and survival. Many of BC’s important ecosystems are endangered, threatened by the very real hazards of climate change, overdevelopment and widespread toxic spraying which leaves them vulnerable to beetle infestations and wildfires. These precious ecosystems support large concentrations of endangered species, wild salmon habitat, drinking watersheds, climate balance, important First Nations cultural sites and outstanding recreational/ tourism opportunities. Protecting BC's sustaining natural assets --of which old-growth forests unquestionably classify as the most valuable-- is a crucial part of the [NDP-promised] Species At Risk Act, which needs to be legislated ASAP to meet our climate-change goals and our requirements as environmental stewards.
BC’s coastal and temperate old-growth forests are vital for sustaining unique/ endangered species, a multi-billion dollar tourism industry, many First Nations cultures, a stable climate and clean water for communities/ wild salmon. And we are fast losing these key life-support systems to rampantly destructive clear-cut logging whose short-term, private gains do not come close to offsetting the deadly debilitating costs of destruction by deforestation.
Recent independent research shows that only a tiny fraction (less than 3%) of BC’s highly productive old-growth forests --i.e. those capable of growing big trees-- remain standing today. Studies have also shown that keeping old-growth forests standing provides a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down - not only for the critical habitats they provide for BC's threatened biodiversity, but for their prodigious C02-storing services that no other element on Earth provides. We need these forests intact to help keep our GHG levels from rising and to give this province a chance at fighting the worst effects of climate change. Importantly, it must be noted that ALL of the C02 stored in old-growth forests is released into the atmosphere when logged. And once they are logged, these important non-renewable natural assets are lost forever. Allowing our precious old-growth forests to be logged at their current rate is therefore tantamount to criminal dereliction of our duty as stewards of our own sustaining wilderness ecosystems.
I therefore recommend the BC government prioritize the conservation of endangered old-growth forests in its 2021 provincial budget by:
1) Establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase private lands of high conservation, scenic, cultural, and recreational value from willing sellers to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system. This $40 million annual fund should increase by $10 million/year until the fund reaches $100 million/year.
2) Contributing funding toward the sustainable development and economic diversification of Vancouver Island First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging, similar to the $120 million (including $30 million in provincial funds) provided to First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in support of ecosystem-based management in that region.
3) Allocating dedicated funding toward the creation, planning, implementation and management of a provincial Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to systematically purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on BC’s private lands for the benefit of communities and species alike - along with Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in BC. IPCAs are increasingly being recognized as effective mechanisms for conserving lands and waters while also supporting the languages, cultures, health, wellbeing, jobs and economies of Indigenous communities - and therefore must be supported and funded in Budget 2021.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah M. Chesterman
