Project Details

Our province-wide project, the “Old-Growth Solutions Initiative”, is working to secure new protected areas to safeguard the endangered old-growth forests in British Columbia at their most critical time in history.

Currently, we are working on two projects, which, when complete, will protect a total of 1,000-square km (386-square mile), including 355-square km (137-square miles) of highly endangered old-growth forests.

BC Old Growth

BC contains some of the world’s most magnificent old-growth forests, where trees can grow as tall as a skyscraper and as wide as a living room. These forests are also important repositories for biodiversity and support a suite of other essential services, including habitat for endangered species, climate regulation, flood control, clean water, wild salmon, First Nations cultures, tourism and recreation industries, and enhanced quality of life.

Current Status

Intensive industrial logging has vastly diminished what remains of BC’s unprotected old-growth forests. Today, less than 8% of the province’s high-productivity stands, with the biggest trees, are left. But for the first time in history, a decisive policy window has opened to secure permanent protection for the most at-risk of these forests. However, for this to happen, critical conservation funding gaps must first be addressed, including support for communities to offset lost old-growth logging revenues, develop sustainable economic alternatives, and build capacity to plan for new protected areas.

The Old-Growth Solutions Initiative

The Old-Growth Solutions Initiative is being undertaken in partnership with the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and Ancient Forest Alliance. The Nature-Based Solutions Foundation is responsible for raising private funds to help fill critical funding gaps while strategically conjoining them with other funding streams to ensure that available resources go towards saving the most endangered old growth.

With this project, NBSF’s role is to support the diverse communities and stakeholders who play a fundamental role in protecting old-growth forests. Our goals include supporting land acquisition efforts to protect old growth on private lands, helping First Nation communities establish new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), supporting small woodlot owners and tenure holders to protect old-growth forests, and funding the development of more sustainable and prosperous local economies.

Your donation makes the critical difference for the fate of old growth.

Please donate today to help secure permanent protection of these magnificent ecosystems.

Project Website

https://www.naturebasedsolutionsfoundation.org/protecting-old-growth