{"id":5300,"date":"2016-02-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/20-years-canadas-great-bear-rainforest-gets-protection-needs\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T07:44:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:44:22","slug":"20-years-canadas-great-bear-rainforest-gets-protection-needs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/20-years-canadas-great-bear-rainforest-gets-protection-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"After 20 Years, Canada\u2019s Great Bear Rainforest Gets the Protection It Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

After 20 years of global campaigning, the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement will protect an area of forest larger than the state of Massachusetts. <\/span><\/p>\n

A version of this was originally posted by\u00a0Greenpeace Canada<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

At long last, today we celebrate the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest<\/a>\u00a0— one of the largest remaining coastal temperate rainforests on earth.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace Canada and Greenpeace USA began protesting against the destruction of the Great Bear Rainforest in the mid-1990s — exposing the story to the world through blockades, protests and banners. Along with other environmental organisations and Indigenous leaders, Greenpeace shined a light on the impacts of forest destruction on First Nations communities who have lived there for thousands of years and on wildlife like the rare white spirit bear. We used this spotlight to pressure logging companies and the local government to change their approach. And it worked!<\/p>\n

After customers around the world \u2014 including Home Depot \u2014 threatened to cancel contracts that would cost millions and attract media attention, the major logging and pulp and paper companies agreed to sit down with us and work towards creative solutions.<\/p>\n

A True Team Effort<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Protecting the Great Bear Rainforest was far from a solo act. It took the work of many groups to take on this big challenge. Along with Sierra Club of BC<\/a> and ForestEthics<\/a>, we set up the Rainforest Solutions Project<\/a> to take on finding solutions. And working closely with two major First Nations umbrella organisations \u2013 Nanwakolas Council<\/a> and Coastal First Nations\u2013Great Bear Initiative<\/a> \u2013 we agreed with the companies on ways to best to protect the forest, advance community well-being and also ensure economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

Together, we developed solutions to protect the integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest and support the community well-being for over twenty First Nations. Now these solutions are fully in place and will stand the test of time.<\/a><\/p>\n

How Is the Great Bear Rainforest Being Protected?<\/h2>\n

\"85%<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n