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2. The Opportunity
The natural heritage of British Columbia is globally significant. There is a wide range of ecosystems steppe to alpine and tundra to rainforests, as well as rich wetland ecosystems ranging from estuaries to bogs that provide habitat for an incredible diversity of plants and wildlife. The province has become a globally important refuge for many of these species that increasingly are rare elsewhere, from grizzly bear to salmon. British Columbia has a global responsibility to protect this legacy.
In a climate change era, protecting nature for climate change purposes can also make economic sense. With the right legal and policy tools in place, emerging carbon markets can provide new financial incentives for protecting and restoring natural ecosystems. BC has the opportunity and expertise to develop forest projects that command the highest prices and ensure best management practices for biodiversity conservation and adaptation. The time may be ripe for a shift from exporting carbon to global markets in the form of wood and paper products, to a more diversified forest economy that includes new revenue streams from storing and capturing atmospheric carbon from the global commons.