[ENVIRONMENT ★★]
DEAL REACHED TO PRESERVE CANADA’S GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST
(P1) The Canadian PROVINCE of British Columbia has announced a HISTORIC agreement that will protect the Great Bear RAINFOREST along its COASTLINE. The deal considers the interests of FIRST NATIONS, the LOGGING industry, and ENVIRONMENTALISTS.
(P2) Under the agreement, about 85 percent of forest within the Great Bear Rainforest would be protected, with the other 15 percent available for logging.
(P3) The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the world’s largest rainforests and the habitat of the Spirit Bear, a rare SUBSPECIES of the black bear with white fur and claws. It is also home to 26 Native groups, known as First Nations.
(P4) “The Great Bear Rainforest is a JEWEL IN THE CROWN of magnificent LANDSCAPES in British Columbia,” Premier Christy Clark said.
(P5) She added that the agreement would protect the forest, while still ensuring economic opportunities for First Nations members and communities.
(P6) The Great Bear rainforest, which includes forests, WATERWAYS, and mountains, covers 15.8 million acres of the province’s coast. More than half its surface is forest, including 5.7 million acres of OLD GROWTH.
(P7) In the 1990s, frustrated over what they saw as destructive FORESTRY practices on their lands, First Nations partnered with environmentalists in Canada to fight back against logging companies.
(P8) By the early 2000s, environmental groups and industry players, including Interfor Corp, Western Forest Products Inc and Catalyst Paper Corp, had started talks. At the same time, the government began NEGOTIATING with the Coastal First Nations.
(P9) The final agreement “will create CERTAINTY for coastal forests, local communities and jobs for years to come,” Rick Jeffery, chief executive of Coast Forest Products Association, said.
(P10) The deal would also end the commercial GRIZZLY BEAR hunt within Coastal First Nations territories, though other existing tourism-related businesses will not be affected.
(P11) “Our leaders understand our WELL-BEING is connected to the well-being of our lands and waters,” said Chief Marilyn Slett, president of Coastal First Nations.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Are there large forests in your country? Is forestry an important industry?
- Why are the Native TRIBES of Canada called “First Nations”?
- Why is it difficult to negotiate agreements?
- In your country, do you think the government or private industry is more powerful?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Jewel in the crown
- Well-being
