With the B.C. government committed to protecting 12 % of the province's land-mass (currently 9.4% designated as protected), many people believe that lots of old-growth forests are being saved from the chainsaws.

In reality, the Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) has continued the traditional approach of setting aside mostly areas with little potential for logging -- high elevation rock and ice.

While originally the Protected Areas Strategy was intended to protect 12% of 'representative' ecosystems (ie. 12% of each forest type), the government has moved the goal post so that the target now is only to protect 12% of the entire land base. This means for instance that while only 6% of the old-growth temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island is protected, the government now claims it has met its objectives under the PAS.

The most recent available data indicates that, of new protected areas created since the inception of the Protected Areas Strategy in June 1993, 61.2% is classified as alpine/subalpine terrain (meaning rock and ice).³³

A recent document from the provincial Land Use Coordination Office (LUCO) explains: "High elevation areas are prime recreation settings and are relatively easy to set aside since other, potentially conflicting resource values (agriculture, settlement and especially timber) are usually low."³⁴

Nonetheless, under the Protected Areas Strategy:

The percentage of low elevation old-growth forest protected in B.C. has risen only marginally, from less than 4% of total protected areas in 1993, to less than 6% of total protected areas currently.³⁵

In addition the 12% target is now being used as an obstacle to further protection of critical areas. The government has set this as a strict ceiling and refuses to consider protection that exceeds the arbitrary 12% figure. Protected Rocks & Ice

With the B.C. government committed to protecting 12 % of the province's land-mass (currently 9.4% designated as protected), many people believe that lots of old-growth forests are being saved from the chainsaws.

In reality, the Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) has continued the traditional approach of setting aside mostly areas with little potential for logging -- high elevation rock and ice.

While originally the Protected Areas Strategy was intended to protect 12% of 'representative' ecosystems (ie. 12% of each forest type), the government has moved the goal post so that the target now is only to protect 12% of the entire land base. This means for instance that while only 6% of the old-growth temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island is protected, the government now claims it has met its objectives under the PAS.

The most recent available data indicates that, of new protected areas created since the inception of the Protected Areas Strategy in June 1993, 61.2% is classified as alpine/subalpine terrain (meaning rock and ice).³³

A recent document from the provincial Land Use Coordination Office (LUCO) explains: "High elevation areas are prime recreation settings and are relatively easy to set aside since other, potentially conflicting resource values (agriculture, settlement and especially timber) are usually low."³⁴

Nonetheless, under the Protected Areas Strategy:

The percentage of low elevation old-growth forest protected in B.C. has risen only marginally, from less than 4% of total protected areas in 1993, to less than 6% of total protected areas currently.³⁵

In addition the 12% target is now being used as an obstacle to further protection of critical areas. The government has set this as a strict ceiling and refuses to consider protection that exceeds the arbitrary 12% figure.