Wherever development occurs in the Great Bear Rainforest it is subject to ecosystem-based management (EBM) rules and guidance governing resource use in the region:
Achieve high degrees of ecological integrity by achieving overtime low risk to ecosystems and a range of ecological values including old growth forests, streams, rivers and wildlife habitat. Based on the best available information a key measure of ecological integrity is maintaining across the region 70 percent of natural old growth forests. An interim moderate risk regional target of 50 percent of natural old growth forest has been established in laws governing forest development.
Achieve high degrees of human and community wellbeing through innovative investments such as the Coast Opportunity Funds, fostering viable forestry operations and other forms of development and focusing economic development and employment opportunities within local communities.
Establish an adaptive management framework to inform future decisions related to ecological integrity and human wellbeing.
Use adaptive management and detailed planning to achieve desired conservation and development goals.
Protect cultural values and features throughout the region.
Respect the rights and interests of First Nations, communities, businesses and others with a stake in the region.
Fully implementing EBM takes time. In 2009, the interim moderate ecological risk threshold was reached, and a plan to get to low ecological risk and high degrees of human wellbeing by 2014 or making meaningful further increments towards both was put in place.
While EBM approaches have been developed for landscapes and regions throughout the world, the approach for Great Bear Rainforest was tailor-made for the region by an independent group of scientists. The scientists produced a framework and a handbook to guide development and implementations of EBM defining EBM as: “An adaptive approach to managing human activities that seeks to ensure the coexistence of healthy, fully functioning ecosystems and human communities. The intent is to maintain those spatial and temporal characteristics of ecosystems such that component species and ecological processes can be sustained, and human wellbeing supported and improved.”
