When you walk through BC’s old-growth forests, you can’t help but feel their magic — the quiet, the age, the life teeming all around you. These forests, and the wetlands, grasslands and shorelines found in BC are more than landscapes; they’re home to thousands of species and a source of peace, connection, and inspiration for so many of us.
But today, those wild spaces are in trouble.
In 2023, the BC government released the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health (BEH) Framework — a plan to make protecting biodiversity and ecosystem health a top priority for the province. It’s an important promise: a shift from putting resource extraction first to protecting what makes BC so special.
Thousands of British Columbians, including those of us at BC Nature, celebrated this vision. But nearly a year later, we’re still waiting for action. And while we wait, old-growth forests continue to be logged, at-risk ecosystems are disappearing, and endangered species are losing their homes.
Once these places are lost, we can’t bring them back to their original state. Old-growth forests take centuries to grow, wetlands form over millennia, and rare ecosystems, once disturbed, can never fully recover.
Why We Care
For us, this isn’t just policy, it’s personal. The places we explore, photograph, and protect are the same places where countless species live, migrate, and thrive.
Healthy ecosystems give us:
- Clean water and air
- Climate stability
- Safe, resilient communities
- A deep sense of belonging to something bigger
Protecting biodiversity means protecting ourselves and ensuring future generations can experience the beauty and wonder of BC’s wild spaces.
What Needs to Happen
BC needs to finalize and implement the BEH Framework and pass a strong biodiversity law that truly protects endangered species and ecosystems.
We’re also asking the government to:
- Pause harmful activities, like old-growth logging, while the law is being developed
- Work in partnership with Indigenous nations to ensure solutions are rooted in respect and reconciliation
How You Can Help
Your voice matters. One of the most powerful things you can do is contact your MLA and share in your own words, why protecting biodiversity matters to you.
And if you can, share this post with your community. Every voice adds strength to the call for action.
Together, We Can Protect What We Love
BC’s government promised to make biodiversity and ecosystem health an overarching priority. Now it’s time to turn that promise into action.
We have an opportunity to protect the forests, wetlands, and shorelines that make BC unique, but we need to act now.