Great Bear Sea
The Great Bear Sea, encompassing over 10 million hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems on the coast of British Columbia, is one of the most productive cold-water ecosystems in the world, and has sustained coastal peoples for thousands of years.
Stretching from the northern half of Vancouver Island up the coast of British Columbia and west to Haida Gwaii, the Great Bear Sea is an ecological and cultural treasure. These waters support an incredible mix of habitats – open ocean, vibrant estuaries, dense kelp forests, expansive coral and sponge beds, deep fjords – which, in turn, sustain connections between marine life and coastal communities.
The Great Bear Sea is located next to the Great Bear Rainforest, where First Nations have worked with partners to protect sensitive old growth forests and secure conservation financing (through Coast Funds) for Guardian programs, conservation projects, and sustainable businesses.
In this part of the world, First Nations’ territories and stewardship responsibilities have always included both land and sea. For millennia, Indigenous peoples have used their knowledge of ecosystems and seasons to sustain the abundance of foods like salmon and eulachon, to support transportation and trade, and to build strong communities and cultures.
Today, overfishing, increased shipping traffic, and climate change are having an impact on the Great Bear Sea and contributing to declines in fish, bird, and shellfish populations – harming the coastal peoples and wildlife that depend on a healthy ocean.
To address these challenges and protect these life-giving seas, First Nations have developed an action plan to create a network of marine protected areas and develop a project finance for permanence (PFP) initiative to help fund stewardship and sustainable economic development in coastal communities.
Marine Protected Areas Network
Protected Areas in the Great Bear Sea (pink/purple) and the Great Bear Rainforest (green). (Map courtesy: Nature United)
Working together over many years, First Nations, the Province of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada have developed an Action Plan for a network of marine protected areas in the Great Bear Sea, also known as the Northern Shelf Bioregion. Leaders shared and endorsed the plan in February 2023, at the IMPAC5 marine conservation summit.
The MPA Network Action Plan identifies more than 30,000 square kilometers of new and existing marine protected areas in the Great Bear Sea. By linking these protected areas and managing them as a group, First Nations and Crown governments can:
- Protect sensitive ecosystems, bringing Canada closer to meeting its commitment to conserve 30% of its lands and waters by 2030.
- Preserve and connect habitat for fish, sea birds, whales, and other marine life, which can help reverse population declines. In other parts of the world, marine protected areas have helped fish populations to recover, supporting fisheries and improving food security in coastal communities.
- Steward areas of cultural importance like historical harvesting sites, villages, and sacred places, for the benefit of future generations.
- Create family-supporting jobs in conservation, marine stewardship and research, ecotourism, sustainable fisheries, and other industries.
- Adapt to a changing climate by protecting kelp and seagrass, which sequester carbon, and maintaining estuaries and coastal habitats, which buffer communities from flooding and erosion.
- Demonstrate reconciliation in action through collaborative governance and management in the Great Bear Sea.
Great Bear Sea PFP
To complement the MPA Network, First Nations have developed a project finance for permanence (PFP) initiative, securing $335 million to support stewardship, conservation, and sustainable economic development in the Great Bear Sea. Funding for the Great Bear Sea PFP comes from the Government of Canada ($200M), Province of British Columbia ($60M), and private funders ($75M).
Project finance for permanence (PFP) is a conservation finance model that brings partners, up-front financing, and supporting regulations together to support lasting conservation of a region. In the Great Bear Rainforest, First Nations have used PFP financing (delivered through Coast Funds) to protect 6.4 million hectares of coastal temperate rainforest, expand and launch 18 Guardian programs, support 1,198 permanent jobs, create and acquire 112 businesses, revitalize languages and culture, and attract $370 million in investments to the coast.
Over the next 20 years, the Great Bear Sea PFP is expected to support more than 3,000 new jobs and 200 new businesses in marine stewardship, transportation and renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, eco-cultural tourism, and manufacturing and processing. In addition, the PFP will provide ongoing funding for the collaborative implementation of both the MPA Network Action Plan and the Marine Plan Partnership (MaPP), which represent over a decade of work between First Nations, Canada, and British Columbia.
Learn more: ourgreatbearsea.ca
Resources and Media Releases
Great Bear Sea PFP Booklet
Na̲nwak̲olas Council; Coastal First Nations; Coast Funds. June 25, 2024
Great Bear Sea PFP Agreements
Media Releases
First Nations of the North Pacific coast celebrate milestone for coastal conservation and community development
Na̲nwak̲olas Council; Coastal First Nations; Coast Funds. June 25, 2024
- Media Release: English
Protecting more of our marine ecosystems together, for future generations
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. June 25, 2024
Backgrounder: Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. June 25, 2024
Coastal First Nations, Na̲nwak̲olas Council, and Coast Funds welcome BC’s $60M investment in the Great Bear Sea
Na̲nwak̲olas Council; Coastal First Nations; Coast Funds. December 5, 2023
- Media Release: English
B.C. supports collaborative marine conservation, economic development on North Coast
Province of British Columbia. December 5, 2023
- Media Release: English
Marine Protected Area Network partners endorse plan to protect British Columbia’s North Coast
Na̲nwak̲olas Council; Coastal First Nations; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship (BC). February 5, 2023
First marine refuge within the Northern Shelf Bioregion is established
Mamalilikulla First Nation; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship (BC). February 5, 2023
Federal government commits to developing conservation finance model for Great Bear Sea
Na̲nwak̲olas Council; Coastal First Nations. December 7, 2022
- Media Release: English
Protecting more nature in partnership with Indigenous Peoples
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. December 7, 2022
Further Reading
- Explore the Great Bear Sea
- MPA Network Action Plan
- About Marine Protected Areas