The designation of Clayoquot Sound as a United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve demonstrates international recognition of the achievement of a shared vision for social, environmental and economic sustainability in Clayoquot Sound.

The original inhabitants of Clayoquot Sound, the Nuu-chah-nulth people, have a guiding philosophy that they call Hishuk-ish ts'awalk. This means "everything is one" which recognizes that communities, cultures, economies and environments are interwoven and impact one another.

In the spirit of Hishuk-ish ts'awalk, the designation of Clayoquot Sound as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve came as the result of the hard work of the nomination working group on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, a body appointed by the Nuu-chah-nulth Central Region First Nations and local governments. People with diverse interests and concerns came together to prepare the UNESCO nomination that would builld support and ensure a sustainable future for the 4500 people of the Clayoquot Biosphere Region.

The nomination was funded, facilitated and authorized through the nomination working group. The federal and provincial governments fully supported the nomination process and committed significant resources to bring the dream to a reality.

In a region once fragmented by controversy over land-use management, the UNESCO Biosphere initiative united people and communities in a shared vision and common interest-- an understanding of Hishuk-ish ts'awalk - and an abiding sense of caring for their surroundings and the future of their communities.

For years, the wealth of natural resources and wilderness values in Clayoquot Sound resulted in long-term conflict over resource uses. In 1993, the B.C. government made a land-use decision for the Sound that sought to ensure environmental protection and the economic health of local communities.

…/2

As a result of this decision, almost 900 square kilometres — 34 per cent of Clayoquot Sound — has been preserved for all time. The protected area forms a natural reserve linking the interior mountains to the ocean shore. It includes the largest intact watershed on Vancouver Island, significant old growth forest, lake and river salmon spawning habitat, rare marine ecosystems and 29 rare plant species.

To review forest practices standards and ensure that forest stewardship stood up to world scrutiny, the provincial government set up an independent Scientific Panel for Sustainable Forest Practices in Clayoquot Sound in 1993. The panel, which included First Nations resource management experts and leading scientists, made its final recommendations to government in 1995. The provincial government later accepted the panel's recommendations and promised to fully implement them.

Concerns from the Nuu-chah-nulth Central Region First Nations regarding the province’s land use decision lead to extensive negotiations with the province. The parties signed an Interim Measures Agreement in 1994. The agreement established the Central Region Board, a joint management board to provide local consultation and decision-making on resource related issues. Through this board, First Nations have a direct voice in the management of resources within their traditional territories. Local communities are also represented on the board. The provincial government has provided about $10 million to maintain this board and conduct related inventory and forestry planning.

During the debate about the land use plan, and in response to a recommendation from the Commission on Resources and the Environment, British Columbia agreed to consider applying for a Biosphere Reserve designation. Later, the Clayoquot Sound Central Region Board wrote to the provincial and federal governments to express its interest in the idea.

A nomination working group developed the formal nomination and consulted with local people and stakeholders on the proposed designation and legacies through a series of public forums and workshops.

…/3

The working group represented the Nuu-chah-nulth Central Region First Nations--the Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Tia-o-qui-aht, Toquaht, and Ucluelet -the district of Tofino, District of Ucluelet and the Alberni-Clayquot Regional District. The Central Region Board, environmental organizations and private sector interests also supported the nomination process.

In January 1999, the communities of Clayoquot Sound, in partnership with federal and provincial governments, officially applied to UNESCO through the Canadian Commission for UNESCO to nominate Clayoquot Sound as B.C.'s first international biosphere reserve. The work of communities and governments has now been recognized with the formal designation of Clayoquot Sound as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere illustrates many of the concepts of the transition of communities towards a "green" economy. As such, it complements the provincial government's Green Economy Initiative, a long term provincial strategy to promote sustainable development and support green B.C. industries such as the environmental technology sector and ecotourism.