We have, collectively, some of the most spectacular temperate rainforest on Earth. We also have, in Hawaii, irreplaceable tropical ecosystems found nowhere else.
We've already lost too much. The question is what we protect going forward.
What We Have:
British Columbia:
- Great Bear Rainforest — One of the largest intact temperate rainforests on Earth (finally protected, mostly)
- Old-growth forests — Increasingly rare, heavily contested
- Clayoquot Sound — Site of 1993 protests, partially protected
- Coastal ecosystems — Orcas, sea otters, kelp forests
- Challenges: Logging pressure, pipeline debates, climate change
Oregon:
- Coastal rainforest (smaller but significant)
- Cascade old-growth
- Spotted owl habitat (remember the 90s timber wars?)
- Challenges: Timber industry pressure, fire risk increasing
Hawaii:
- Tropical rainforests (completely unique ecosystems)
- Endemic species found nowhere else on Earth
- Coral reefs (threatened by warming, acidification)
- Challenges: Invasive species, development pressure, climate change
The Old-Growth Crisis:
In BC, old-growth logging remains contentious. Ancient trees — 500, 800, 1,000+ years old — are still being cut.
The Fairy Creek blockades (2021) were the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history. People were arrested protecting trees that were growing when Shakespeare was writing plays.
Oregon went through this in the 1980s-90s. The spotted owl vs. timber jobs debate reshaped the Pacific Northwest.
Have we learned anything?
A Unified Conservation Framework:
Proposal: A Pacific Coastal Conservation Corridor
- Connected protected areas from Alaska to Oregon
- Migration corridors for wildlife
- Marine protected areas along the entire coast
- Old-growth moratorium — No more cutting of ancient forests, period
- Restoration zones — Actively restore previously logged areas
- Hawaiian integration — Different ecosystem, same principle: protect what's irreplaceable
The Carbon Argument:
Old-growth forests are massive carbon stores. When you log them, you release that carbon. When you protect them, you keep it locked up.
Kelp forests sequester carbon. Coastal wetlands sequester carbon. Hawaiian forests sequester carbon.
Climate change is an existential threat. Protecting these ecosystems isn't just about beauty or biodiversity — it's about survival.
Hawaii's Unique Challenge:
Hawaii's ecosystems evolved in isolation for millions of years. Species exist there that exist nowhere else. Many are already extinct. More are endangered.
Threats:
- Invasive species — Rats, pigs, mosquitoes, invasive plants devastate native ecosystems
- Development — Tourism and population pressure on limited land
- Climate change — Coral bleaching, shifting habitats, fire risk
Hawaii needs massive conservation investment. Not tourism-driven "eco-tourism" that loves nature to death, but serious protection and restoration.
Indigenous Land Stewardship:
First Nations in BC have managed these lands for thousands of years. The Great Bear Rainforest agreement was possible because of Indigenous leadership.
In Oregon, tribal nations have traditional ecological knowledge spanning millennia.
In Hawaii, Native Hawaiian traditional land management (ahupua'a system) was sophisticated and sustainable.
Conservation should center Indigenous knowledge and authority. Not as "consultation" but as leadership.
Discussion Questions:
- Should there be an absolute moratorium on old-growth logging across the region?
- How do we balance conservation with resource industry jobs?
- What's the appropriate role for eco-tourism? Can it help or does it harm?
- How do we address invasive species in Hawaii at scale?
- What funding mechanisms can support landscape-level conservation?