Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) is welcoming the launch of land use planning processes, jointly announced by the BC Government, the Kaska Dena, Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit, Gitanyow, and Nisga’a Nations. These processes provide a pathway to achieving the shared commitment to protecting 30 percent of lands and waters as well as advancing reconciliation and responsible development in Northwest BC.

“We’re thrilled to see the next step in the long-awaited launch of land use planning to bring different voices to the table and decide on a pathway to protecting the ecosystems that underpin our cultures, health and economies,” says Sarah McNeil, Executive Director at CPAWS-BC. “If done well, land use planning has the power to meet the moment of ecological crisis and economic uncertainty by moving forward to a healthy and secure future for British Columbians.”

The announcement includes three pillars previously outlined in a shared vision for the region: conservation, reconciliation and responsible development. To provide security while land use planning is launched and carried out over the coming 12 months, the province is putting a pause on new mining tenure registration in the area over a third of the planning area. This is an essential step to help governments, communities, and all interested parties move forward together. 

“We thank the leadership of the Kaska, Taku River Tlingit, Tahltan, Gitanyow and Nisga’a for their ongoing stewardship and commitment to conservation, and the dedication of the BC government to move conservation forward in a respectful way,” said Aleesha Switzer, Acting Conservation Director – Lands & Freshwater Program at CPAWS-BC. “This ambitious timeline calls for dedication from all, and we hope to see additional capacity from the province to make sure these processes can advance our shared goals of bringing back healthy wildlife populations, securing a climate-safe future and responsible development.”

This process will bring together communities from the shadow of the Coast Range at the border with Alaska right across to the Continental Divide in the remotest parts of the Rocky Mountains, showcasing a tremendous variety of landscapes, ecosystems, and numerous pristine free-flowing rivers. The region is home to strongholds for many of the most iconic species found in BC, including powerful runs of salmon and teeming herds of elk.

“The territories of the five Nations include large unlogged and unroaded watersheds that are increasingly rare in BC, and significant on a global scale. Not only would land protections in this region help enable Indigenous peoples to maintain their powerful cultural connections to their land, they would also provide a stunning wild legacy for all British Columbians,” says Johnny Mikes, Conservation Specialist with CPAWS-BC. 

The announcement of land use planning in the Northwest comes after many years of hard work by the Kaska, Taku River Tlingit, Tahltan, Gitanyow and Nisga’a First Nations to identify areas of ecological, cultural, and economic importance across their territories. Thanks to their efforts, we will see the land use planning process move quickly, and communities, stakeholders, industry, recreation users, and conservation organizations will soon be invited to provide their input. By working together, we can create a sustainable future where fish and wildlife thrive, alongside healthy communities.

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For interviews, contact:

Aleesha Switzer, Acting Conservation Director – Lands & Freshwater Program, CPAWS-BC

media@cpawsbc.org 

604-685-7445 x 7

Additional background information:

• In 2022, the BC government recognized the need for better protection of nature and committed to protecting 30 percent of lands and waters in BC by 2030, in partnership with First Nations. The January 2025 mandate letters outlined land use planning as the pathway to advance this goal, alongside resource development focused on the exploration and mining of critical minerals. 
• For more information on land use planning in British Columbia, visit the BC government planning partnerships website: https://planninginpartnership.ca/ 

— See the Full Immediate Release (web version here) —

About CPAWS-BC:

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC)  is part of one of Canada’s oldest non-profit conservation groups. We advocate for the protection of wilderness and wildlife in every corner of BC and deep into the ocean. We have been defending BC since 1978, and are dedicated to keeping BC’s natural environment thriving forever. Nature is BC’s best hope.

The world is facing a biodiversity crisis. Decades of climate change and unchecked industrial development are putting nature under more pressure than ever. British Columbia is on the frontlines of the fight to protect our last remaining large, intact natural land and seascapes, and the plants and animals that depend on them. 

CPAWS-BC works with partners across the province to uplift solutions that will stem the nature emergency and ensure resilient ecosystems that can weather the storms of a changing climate. When nature thrives, so do we.