Protecting the North American Rain Forest

Protecting the North American Rain Forest. BBC Environment -- Canada's province of British Columbia has announced plans to protect a huge swathe of Pacific Coast rainforest, known as the Amazon of the North. The forest is home to a rare white bear species and is the ancestral land of several indigenous Canadian tribes. The deal will save a vast area of forest for wildlife, while allowing sustainable logging in other parts. The settlement between tribes, loggers and environmentalists is being hailed as an example for other countries. The land covered by the Great Bear Rainforest is huge. At 64,000 sq-km (25,000 sq-mile), it is about twice the size of Belgium. It stretches 400km (250 miles) up the Pacific Coast from Vancouver Island all the way north to Alaska. It has seen frequent disputes in recent years between the lumber industry and environmental groups. Under the new agreement, about a third of the land is being preserved completely to protect wildlife in the region, including ...

09:31:33 February 8, 2006, Wednesday (PST) Source: The Mediaburn Radio Weblog

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