Photo: Ethan Cairns The Canadian Press The target of the framework agreement means that an additional 100,000 square kilometers must be designated “protected areas”. From left to right: Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, British Columbia's Minister of Water, Lands and Resource Management, Nathan Cullen, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Steven Guilbeault, and the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby.
An environmental agreement to protect 30 per cent of British Columbia's land by 2030 was signed Friday between the federal and provincial governments and the First Nations Leadership Council.
The goal of the The framework agreement means that an additional 100,000 square kilometers must be designated “protected areas”, adding to the 20 per cent of British Columbia's land area that is already protected — the largest protected area among the provinces and territories.
The federal government says this is the first federal-provincial agreement to support Ottawa's goal of protecting 30 per cent of land, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas, under the National Strategy for biodiversity towards 2030.
Ottawa says the federal and British Columbia governments will each invest up to $500 million over the life of the agreement.
Federal funding includes $50 million to protect 4,000 square kilometers of old-growth forests and $104 million to restore endangered species habitat.
Other goals of the agreement are aimed at support the recovery of the spotted owl and the protection of enough old-growth forests to support 250 endangered birds.
The agreement to protect biodiversity, habitat and endangered species was signed at a ceremony in Vancouver by Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, Premier David Eby and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for British Columbia Terry Teegee.