A giant tract of land in southeastern British Columbia will become protected habitat, the Canadian government and Nature Conservancy Canada announced Thursday. The so-called Darkwoods area, purchased from a private forester, adds up to 550 square kilometers of mountains, valleys, and wetlands (that's 212 square miles, for metric-system hatas). The area is home to endangered mountain caribou, grizzly bears, bull trout, red-tailed chipmunks, and 100,000 migratory birds of 265 different species. The Canadian government and the Nature Conservancy Canada jointly paid $125 million to both purchase the land and pay into an endowment fund to ensure the area continues to be protected in the future. "Darkwoods is a conservation initiative of global significance," says the Nature Conservancy's John Lounds. "It's part of a greater vision that will set new standards for conservation success."
source: Canadian Press, Nature Conservancy of Canada, MarketWatch, The Vancouver Sun
see also, in Grist:Ontario protects gigantic forest area
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Comments View as Flat
MattKirby Posted 2:10 am
25 Jul 2008
Canada scores again!
It's been a great week for Canadian wilderness. After the announcement last week of the protection of Ontario's boreal forest and now this annoucement, our northern neighbor is showing us up. Let's hope with a new administration we can start following their example and craft some bold protection acts!
http://www.sierraclub.org/wildlegacy/blog/
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usandthem Posted 12:52 pm
27 Jul 2008
Member
I have been a member of The Nature Conservancy since 1986 and joined because the Conservancy gets things done and not just in the U.S. but throughout the world and politics is not involved.I am proud that the Canandian Nature Conservancy has done such a wonderful job of protecting another portion of the earth.Well done.
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