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Eco-groups support poster of wildlife protection areas in BCs Inland Rainforest
by WCWC Media •
Tuesday November 14, 2006 at 12:04 PM
Environmental Declaration” on reverse of poster calls for banning old-growth logging
Vancouver, BC, Canada
The new poster titled Biodiversity of British Columbias Inland Rainforest profiles Biodiversity Conservation Areas, Wildlife Movement Corridors, and Intact Old-Growth Forests. The Inland Temperate Rainforest Region, which extends from Prince George through southeastern B.C. to the US border, is drawing world attention as the worlds only inland temperate rainforest, with rich biodiversity including many rare and endangered species. Conservationists and scientists hope that the resultant "high priority conservation areas" displayed on the poster will serve as a blueprint for future conservation decision-making in southeastern BC. Colleen McCrory, of the Valhalla Wilderness Society, says, "The purpose of the poster is to create a beautiful graphic image of inter-connected biodiversity hotspots throughout the 14 million ha BC Inland Rainforest Region. This area is losing many species of plants and animals that are dependent on low elevation old-growth forests and wilderness, and the major culprit is logging." Geoff Senichenko, WCWCs Director of Research and Mapping, said, "What this poster project highlighted to me is the
inadequacy of existing parks. Only 7.5% of the inland rainforest area is protected. Its no wonder people refer to BC parks as "Islands of Extinction." Most parks in the study area consist primarily of mountain tops and they are not inter-connected at all." Images of the most high profile and critically threatened rainforest areas, and wildlife including mountain caribou, are featured on the poster, as is the conservationists 8-point "Environmental Declaration" which, among other things, calls for a ban on logging old-growth forests greater than 140 years old. The recent announcement by the BC government recommending killing of caribou predators such as wolves, black bear, cougars and even grizzlies and wolverine if necessary, is a disaster for the ecosystem and mountain caribou. The Environmental Declaration highlights the fact that the major cause of habitat loss is logging, roads, and hydro-electric development. The new poster was inspired by a scientific conservation plan that highlights the habitat needs of 6 focal animal species in the Inland Rainforest Region from north of Prince George, BC, and south 1,000 km to northern Idaho, Montana, and Washington States. This conservation plan, titled "A Conservation Area Design (CAD) for the Inland Temperate Rainforest" was prepared on behalf of the Valhalla Wilderness Society by the Craighead Environmental Research Institute in Montana, and Applied Conservation GIS in BC. The CAD calls for 85% of the 14 million ha Inland Rainforest Region to be managed for biodiversity and 55% to be protected. The CAD is based on an analysis of 6 focal species including mountain caribou, cougar, grizzly bear,
lynx, wolf and wolverine. The poster can be viewed @ http://www.wildernesscommittee.org
The declaration can be viewed online @ http://www.wildernesscommittee.org and @ http://www.vws.org and @
http://www.inlandtemperaterainforest.org
The conservation area design (CAD) can be viewed at http://www.vws.org, and http://www.craigheadresearch.org
Free copies of the poster are available to media and decision makers.
For more information contact Anne Sherrod @ 250-358-2610 or Andy Miller @ 604-992-3099 or Chris Blake @ 250-296-4358 or
Rick Zammuto @250-553-2325 or Marilyn Burgoon @250-226-7324 or Roy Howard @ 250-968-4410.
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