We are pleased to release an Intact Areas Report for British Columbia using the provincial Cumulative Effects Framework data from 2021. Using the 2021 disturbance data and distance metrics from the Blueberry decision in BC (Yahey v British Columbia 2021) we calculated the amount of the intact lands. In BC 39% of lands outside of parks and protected areas are within 250m of a disturbance or are disturbed. Using 500m, that number increases to 47% of lands in Alberta outside of parks and protected areas. This means in BC 53% of lands outside parks and protected areas remain intact.

Although 53% sounds like a lot, these intact lands are not evenly distributed across the province or across ecosystems so the availability of intact lands for individual Nations will vary significantly. In order to protect the ecological integrity of the land and the rights of Indigenous people both conservation and restoration is needed. For more details, click here to download a copy of the report.