From impossibility to opportunity. On the mainland coast of British Colombia, the Great Bear Rainforest stretches for more than 250 miles. Born of a complex interaction between ocean, mountains, forest and rain, this is a land of mist-shrouded valleys and glacier-cut fjords, old-growth forests and rich salmon streams. At 21 million acres, it is part of the largest remaining coastal temperate rainforest on Earth.

From the deep growls of foraging grizzlies to the ancient songs of First Nations to the cry of wind though the branches of 1,000-year-old cedars, the Great Bear Rainforest is a land of many voices. And now, in a place once torn by conflict, people have come together to raise new voices of hope.

At the invitation of a broad group of partners, The Nature Conservancy recently led and completed a successful fundraising campaign in support of historic land use agreements in the Great Bear Rainforest. As a result of these agreements, 5 million acres of the rainforest are now off limits to logging and more than 19 million acres are under strict land management guidelines called ecosystem based management.

The successful development and implementation of ecosystem based management over the next three years is the key to preserving the health of the Great Bear Rainforest’s plant, animal and human communities. The Conservancy, working with a diverse team of partners, is providing scientific support and conservation-planning expertise to successfully implement ecosystem based management in the rainforest.

Now, we have just one chance to apply this innovative approach and prove that a nature-based economy is both viable and sustainable. Your support is vital to ensuring that the vision of the Great Bear Rainforest is not lost to inertia or failure. We have made a wonderful start, but ongoing work will be critical to preserving a healthy future for the Great Bear Rainforest and the human and natural communities that depend on it.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Ian McAllister; Photo © Ian McAllister; Map © The Nature Conservancy.