25 naturally beautiful photos of B.C.'s pristine Great Bear Rainforest
An agreement signed today in Vancouver by the provincial government and First Nations stakeholders is being called a landmark deal that will protect the Great Bear Rainforest along the Pacific coast.
This forested area along the west coast of British Columbia’s mainland, stretching from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska pandhandle, is one of the world’s most pristine and untouched environments.
In fact, it is the only place of its kind – an intact temperate rainforest – remaining on the planet. And of course, among a great number of flourishing wildlife species, it is best known for being the home of the spirit bear, a subspecies of the black bear with white fur.
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In an interview with Vancity Buzz, Pacific Wild executive director Ian McAllister says the deal is certainly a big step forward in the right direction for the Great Bear Rainforest area, although he warns that much more still needs to be done.
“It means there is more certainty in the areas that are protected, but it still leaves some areas that aren’t protected, and I think this is the balanced that have been reached in this agreement,” said McAllister. “But we don’t view it as a final conservation plan, but rather one that builds on previous agreements. And while these agreement takes significant steps in protecting the rainforest, it does not address the lack of marine use protection.”
“There is a realization that more needs to be done. For example the trophy hunt of wildlife like bears and wolves is still allowed in the Great Bear Rainforest and it’s something that we’re opposed to.”
McAllister’s non-profit organization has been working to save the rainforest for more than two decades, and part of this advocacy revolves around documenting surreal photographic evidence of the thriving ecosystem.
“From my photography, I’ve learned how much the terrestrial wildlife relies on the ocean environment and recognized that the ocean and rainforest are really inseparable when it comes to trying to define the needs of wildlife,” he said.
For example, the bears rely deeply on the intertidal areas for foraging for the salmon, and similarly wolves are often see along the waterways feeding on both salmon and herring eggs.
“I think the interaction between the ocean and rainforests really symbolizes the Great Bear Rainforest area.”
Here are 25 stunning photos taken by McAllister of the Great Bear Rainforest’s wildlife and geographic landscapes:
Sibling spirit bears. #greatbearrainforest #spiritbear #nature #wildlifeconservation A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
Rainforest wolves on their daily perimeter search for marine-based prey. Photo: @iantmcallister @sea_legacy @pacificwild #greatbearrainforest #greatbearsea A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
Late September and I was fortunate to find this pack in an an estuary covered in recently spun spider webs. With the early morning mist rolling through the rainforest it couldn’t have been more beautiful. #savebcwolves @pacificwild @sea_legacy @natgeocreative #greatbearrainforest #wolvesofinstagram A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
Just learned that this split image of a rainforest wolf focused on eating herring eggs has been chosen as one of the top 20 photos of 2015 by Nat Geo. I hope this helps bring more attention to our threatened wolves here in BC. And if you are inspired to make it number one please vote on the NG site. @pacificwild #wolves #seawolves #heiltsuk #savebcwolves @natgeo @natgeocreative A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
I thought these wolves that were eating herring eggs along the shoreline would scamper off into the woods once they saw me in the water but they were so curious (or perhaps they thought I was a weird looking seal and an easy dinner) they ran right over to me for a better look. Counting the days until the next great herring event and to catch up with this pack again. photo: @tavishcampbell #savebcwolves #herring #greatbearrainforest #natgeo #natgeocreative @pacificwild A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
Last light of day falls on a grizzly bear mom and her cubs as they search a remote estuary for the last washed out salmon carcasses of the year. #greatbearrainforest #light #britishcolumbia #spiritbear #explorebc @pacificwild #canada #wildlifephotography #nikonphotography #nikonnofilter #lovethewild A photo posted by Ian McAllister (@iantmcallister) on
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