Canada

New Deal Protects 85 Percent Of Canada's Massive Great Bear Rainforest

The agreement among aboriginal tribes, logging companies and environmental organizations will protect the area from logging.

New Deal Protects 85 Percent Of Canada's Massive Great Bear Rainforest
Megan Coughlin / CC BY ND 2.0
SMS

Bears and various other animals in one of Canada's temperate rainforests can continue to live comfortably in most of their habitats.

The latest agreement among aboriginal tribes, logging companies and environmental organizations will protect 85 percent of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. 

To put that in perspective, the total span of the forest, at 21 million acres, is a little under the acreage of Indiana.

About 15 percent that's not protected will be allowed for loggers to use, with monitoring to ensure practices are sustainable. (Video via Al Jazeera)

For some environmental organizations, this agreement has been a long time coming. Some are saying it has taken them nearly two decades of activism. 

The forest is home to a variety of bears, including the white Spirit Bear, and other species specific to Canada. 

This video includes images from Megan Coughlin / CC BY ND 2.0 and Dogwood Initiative CC BY 2.0.