Not long after we started mapping with First Nations in Clayoquot Sound, Ecotrust Canada produced a plan. It was called Seeing the Ocean Through the Trees: A Conservation-based Development Strategy for Clayoquot Sound. The year was 1997. 

Land-use planning is an essential step in building the conservation economy. In British Columbia, land is under increasing development pressure, which often results in conflicts between various user groups and sectors. Logging, parks, suburban development, recreational trails, sacred Aboriginal sites, agricultural—all of these compete for land.

Integrated planning allows First Nations and communities to articulate a vision for land use, minimizing conflicts, maximizing local benefits and ensure their values are respected. “We based our land-use plan on our traditional values of looking after the land and the people,” says Philip Hogan, a Heiltsuk member who worked on the Heiltsuk Land-Use Plan with Ecotrust Canada. “Making a living off the land is something we’ve always done and we want to continue to do that. It’s a way of life and a culture. This plan is our vision for our land.”

Ecotrust Canada has worked with communities up and down the coast on various community, tourism, resource management and land-use planning initiatives. Careful planning enables the emergence of a diverse local economy while minimizing social conflict and environmental harm. It ultimately helps communities embrace change, not fear it.